


Database

by SarineCassius



Category: Sherlock (TV)
Genre: F/M, Flashbacks, Kidnapping, M/M, Rating May Change, Warnings May Change, missing person
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-01-17
Updated: 2018-03-09
Packaged: 2018-09-18 05:32:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 10
Words: 32,703
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9370136
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SarineCassius/pseuds/SarineCassius
Summary: When a main researcher for the British Government goes missing after an assignment, Mycroft's facade as the Iceman seems to be melting. It would appear that this time, things have hit closer to home...





	1. Database is missing

**Author's Note:**

> My first ever Sherlock fanfiction. I must say that i have a soft spot for Mycroft, specially after watching season 4 (i swear i will avoid any big Spoilers) and got the inspiration back to me after a few weeks of shitty, shitty writing.
> 
> I hope you guys enjoy it.

**Database Is Missing**

 

Anthea found herself that morning on her usual spot, left and slightly behind her boss: Mycroft Holmes. The rest of the PA’s were perfectly aligned on her right and left sides, all of them busy taking notes and passing important files to their respective bosses...of course, Anthea didn’t have to do any of the latter, since her boss had everything he needed where it was safer...imprinted in that magnificent brain of his. She was there to receive notes and to inform of any emergency or any important development in matters with an upper level of priority. As she saw discreetly how her peers rumbled through documents and scribbled furiously on their pads, she smiled to herself. She knew her colleagues, the ones outside Mr. Holme’s office, despised her, a few ones thought she had relations of a more unprofessional measure with her boss and some other had tried insistently to sabotage her and her work. But, like Mycroft Holmes himself had once said: lions don’t concern themselves over the opinion of sheep…

 

She tapped uninterruptedly on her smartphone, moving meetings, confirming reservations and receiving reports on every assignment her office had as the meeting flowed smoothly. Like she thought earlier, she was on her usual spot of the day and then her phone vibrated insistently in her hand. A phone call. She never got phone calls that weren’t from her boss, not ever. She tapped her boss on the shoulder and made signals to him, he nodded and she got up quickly on her feet to answer the call.

 

-Yes? Argus?-

 

-Anthea? We’re in deep, deep shit. You have to get here. Now.

 

She glanced towards her boss, who sat with his usual poker face pretending to listen to everyone’s opinion…

 

-The meeting will be over in ten, text me the details and i’ll see what i can do from here…

 

-No Anthea, we’ve been trying to manage things for the last 20 minutes and it’s bad, bad, bad. You have to get here!

 

-Ok, i’ll tell Antarctica...

 

-No!- she heard everyone in the office scream the same word- Anthea...just...you have to come right now…

 

-What the fuck is happening, Argus?-

 

She heard everyone talk, and then some tapping, and then more words…

 

-Anthea? This is Alyx

 

-What is going on, Alyx?

 

\- The Database is missing.

 

_ Fuck. _

 

She didn’t even register how her feet started moving towards her division's office. She basically sprinted to get there. She opened the door and saw the pandemonium: a full team scanning all the cctv available in London, Alyx on the phone speaking french, another team of telecommunications on the radio, Argus pacing around the office, tablet in hand.

 

-What the fuck?!

 

Argus approached her, Antigone not far behind him. They both looked wrecked. This had to be so much worse than she thought...

 

-The Database was supposed to arrive at Heathrow at eleven, i received confirmation of route at 10:30 and at 10:48 Base Control in Heathrow started to clear landing paths for that specific jet. What on the Queen’s name happened? Are we sure that The Database was even on that plane?! 

 

-Yes, the pilot and the crew confirmed!- said Antigone, pinching her nose.

 

-Listen, Anthea, the jet left right on schedule from Helsinki-Vantaa with The Database secured on it, the pilot followed the traced route with sharp precision, there were no reports of any disturbance from the crew or the pilot himself, the jet landed on Heathrow at eleven am as was scheduled, and we have testimony from three members of the crew: The Database was there when it landed. 

 

-Then  _ where the fuck is she _ ?

 

-That is what we are trying to find out. We’ve already sent a team to Heathrow, they’re examining the jet as we speak, but so far, we have nothing. Nothing on cctv, nothing on the airport, no one saw her getting out of the plane…

 

-Who reported first?

 

-Damien, from her team- said Alyx- he is still at Heathrow, and the rest of the Database’s team has joined the search, they’re contacting Helsinki…

 

-Have we tried her phone? Anything out of place on her house? Do we have her luggage?

 

-Yes- Anthea raised her eyebrow- Nothing seems to be out of the ordinary on her house, her luggage is being examined by both teams right now and her phone is out of service since they left Helsinki, last email was sent before the jet started taxiing. 

 

-Do we know the content of that email?

 

-It’s in code. 

 

-Please don’t tell me she sent it to Antarctica.

 

Neither of the other agents spoke a word.  _ Fuck. _

 

-So, we have Heathrow, Helsinki, her house, the plane…- Anthea paced around…

 

-We have also notified our peers in every country in the European Nation, Asia, North America and the Middle East, they will keep an eye on their cctv. Ajax is currently on the phone with Australia and Agatha is covering both Africa and South America…

 

Anthea sat down on one of the office chairs and covered her face with her hands.

 

-We’re going to be fired, and then he is going to get us killed- she felt her heartbeat going faster at every passing moment- 

 

-You have to tell him now, Anthea, we’re losing precious time-

 

-Oh no! No, no, no! I’m not telling him, we are all telling him together, i’m not going to suffer his wrath on my own…

 

Anthea listened a gasp and set her view straight towards the glass door and to the hallway, where she found the tall figure of Mycroft Holmes approaching the office…

 

-Ok, lets all calm down- she said to her panicking coworkers- We are all going to give the briefing to Antarctica and everything is going to be fine, composure, everyone…- she stood up as soon as she could recognize her boss’ features, straightening her clothes and taking deep breaths to calm herself…

 

Holmes opened the door and took a glance around the office, he frowned and kept on walking as Anthea and the rest of the agents followed behind her.

 

-What is the big emergency, Anthea?

 

-Sir, i think we better discuss it at your desk

 

But he kept on walking, without turning to see her once, giving no sign that he had listened.

 

-It’s unacceptable that you leave meetings without any explanation, Anthea, i have to say i’m disappointed by your performance today…

 

-Sir- okay, here we go- Database is missing

 

For the first time while working with Mycroft Holmes she saw him freeze completely on the spot.  His body stiffened and she saw his knuckles go white as he gripped the handle on his umbrella. 

 

-How long?- his voice was low, almost faltering

 

-Database was last seen at eleven am, when her jet landed on Heathrow airport.

 

Mycroft took his pocket watch, and kept on walking until they reached his personal office. 

 

-So, forty nine minutes without contact…

 

-Yes sir- she answered.

 

-And? What are we doing to solve this problem?

 

-Here is the briefing, sir- Argus extended his arm and gave him the tablet.

 

They all waited in complete silence as he sat on his desk, reading every piece of information they gave him. 

 

-I want every member of Heathrow’s staff detained as soon as possible, with obvious priority on the jet’s personnel.

 

-We already have, sir

 

-No you haven’t.

 

-But we already…

 

-No you have not!- he slammed the tablet on the desk as he raised his voice and every person within sight flinched- You have graciously omitted the crew from the landing track, the people who manage the luggage….or is there any information you are keeping from me?!

 

No one dared to speak a word and he sat down again.

 

\- Now, which one of you is going to tell the Prime Minister that her main Data Researcher is missing?- he looked at them, with fury in his eyes, if not in his words. Again, he got no answer- Then get the hell out of my sight and find her!

 

Everyone walked promptly back to the operations room, but she remained in the office, knowing without reassurance that he wanted her to stay… She saw him sigh and lean back on his chair as he closed his eyes and felt immediately guilty; for the rest of the team, a very important Data Researcher had gone missing, but Anthea knew better…

 

-Sir, Database sent you an email before we lost contact-

 

He opened his eyes and nodded.

 

-Thank you, Anthea, join the others please- he opened his laptop and tapped as she walked to the door

 

Anthea turned to see his boss as she closed the door and saw his usually cold demeanor turn into deep and pure concern. He covered his face with his palms and she could not bear to look at him anymore. 

 

Anthea knew better than the rest...the Crown and the Prime Minister had lost a valuable member of the government. But Mycroft Holmes, Antarctica, THE British Government had just found out his girlfriend was missing.

  
_ Fuck. _


	2. Desperate Measures

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He avoided personal relationships for a very good reason. And he had said it to her many, many times; but she refused to listen, and soon he found himself ignoring his own advice. She kept saying they were safe. He should have known better...

**2\. Desperate Measures**

  
  


_ Dearest Mycroft: _

_ Everything went smoothly.  _ _ Are we still set up for tonight? You pick the movie, i will get some Strawberry Shortcake for us.  _

_ Can’t wait to see you. _

_ Yours truly, Gaia. _

 

Mycroft could have cried. 

 

His worst fears have just came true. His dear Gaia was missing, and in the most ridiculous scenario possible: a three hour flight from Helsinki. She boarded the jet, the flight went on without any disturbances, landing was perfectly in time and as soon as she stepped out of the plane...poof...vanished. He checked every security footage from the airport himself but it was like his brain had gotten stalled. For the first time in many, many years, his brain wasn’t working on an accelerated rate; it was fixated on every memory he had of her.  He read and re-read her email. He paced, he tried to remember every possible blind spot the cctv had, but his mind kept going back to her...her face, her smile, her voice...what if their last kiss was indeed their last kiss? What if that last goodbye at his threshold had been their very last good bye? 

 

He really, really could have cried. 

 

But he gathered himself together, he gave orders, he phoned the Prime Minister and conducted a few interviews with members from Gaia’s team...it had been six hours since their last contact and he felt like he was slowly dying. The final blow for him came at lunch time, when Anthea, knowing perfectly he used to eat much and often when he was under a lot of stress, came with a tea set and a selection of entrees and pastries...including a small slice of strawberry shortcake. He felt his knees falter and he sat down as composedly as he could.

 

-Anthea

 

-Yes, sir?- she said, looking up from her phone

 

-Pack everything and tell the driver to be ready as soon as every piece of evidence is properly filed and documented…

 

-S-sir?

 

-Do as you are told, Anthea- he closed his eyes

 

-Any address for the driver, sir?

 

-Baker Street

 

Mycroft heard the distinct sound of Anthea’s steps leaving his office and he felt completely powerless for the first time since hearing the news. He was arguably the most powerful man in the Commonwealth, the things he knew and the secrets he held could destroy several Empires...he used to think that no speck of dust moved without him knowing, but after Moriarty, Sherrinford and now this, he felt completely defeated. 

 

He avoided personal relationships for a very good reason. And he had said it to her many, many times...but she refused to listen, and soon he found himself ignoring his own advice. She kept saying they were safe. She kept saying that no one besides Anthea and Damien and themselves knew about their relationship. Of course, he had trusted her good judgement, she was after all, the best Data Researcher the British Government had. If any rumour or gossip had been circulating about the nature of their relationship via text, email, phone call or simply office chatter, she would have known. It was her specialty. Knowing if people talked about things they shouldn’t know. That was precisely why she went to Helsinki in the first place, Finland’s national security had been compromised and she was there as an advisor for their Data Research Team...He had suggested that trip.

 

He should have known better.

 

Unable to handle his feelings for much longer, he got up and with his umbrella in hand, he walked out of his office much to the dismay of his minions, who started panicking as soon as they saw him. Anthea went after him, walking fast.

 

-We are not ready yet, Sir-

 

-Not my problem- he replied, not wanting to give much explanation

 

-Of course, Sir- he heard as she ordered the car, insisting in the urgency of the matter.

 

They walked out of the building just as his usual driver parked the car with a loud screech in front of them. 

 

-I am going alone, Anthea, make sure those idiots don’t burn the place

 

-Yes, sir

 

He got in the car and the door closed with a loud thud. He looked out the window to the busy streets, trying to get his mind as far as possible from the calamities that filled his thoughts...it was a chilly October afternoon and everything in London appeared to be devoid of its usual colour, everything seemed to be happening through a screen, filtered by the desperation that had overcome every cell of his body.

 

Gaia loved the fall, the cold wind, the changing colours of the leaves...she said it was the perfect season for cuddling and watching films, and that was what they did on their last encounter before his trip to Egypt and hers to Finland. He made love to her in front of the fireplace of his house, and when the post-coital bliss caught them both, they decided to stay there, watching the flames and whispering sweet words to each other...she teased him about his depressing kitchen, urging him to do a serious renovation and he could not stop himself from thinking about the two of them living together, but he didn’t say anything, he just smiled and teased her back, telling her their next date would be at Homebase. She laughed and kissed him, both of them tight in an embrace until her car arrived and they had to switch back to being Antarctica and Database.

 

That had been four days ago.

 

The driver kept glancing at him through the rearview mirror, and he tried his best to regain a bit of his usual composure. He straightened himself, adjusted his tie clip, trying desperately to look a little more like himself. The car stopped in front of 221B, and he got out to the busy street, the sound of Sherlock’s violin filling the air around him, his umbrella safely put under his arm. He looked up and sighed. He had hoped he would never have to ask his brother for help again.

 

He straightened the knocker on the door before using it, thinking of how Gaia would’ve probably smiled if she saw it. Soon after, appeared Mrs. Hudson…

 

-Afternoon, Mrs. Hudson- he said

 

-Mycroft! Sherlock was just saying you were here!

 

-I am sure he did, Mrs. Hudson, may i come in?

 

-Yes, you can! I’ll bring some tea in a minute

 

Mycroft only nodded and proceeded to the stairs, leaving Mrs. Hudson fixated in her place, confused by his behaviour. The sound of the violin went louder as he approached the door, and, without bothering to knock, he went in.

 

-Brother mine- he said- good to see you are still sober…

 

-Barely, Mycroft, barely- Sherlock put aside his violin and sat down on his chair- What are you doing here?

 

-Mycroft? Hello! Haven’t seen you in a while- John Watson entered the room

 

-Yes, yes, good afternoon Doctor- he took his umbrella out of his arm and tapped the floor with it, before speaking- I have a case for you, Sherlock

 

-What about?

 

-Mind if i seat, Doctor Watson?- he seated slowly in front of his brother, almost feeling how his mind started to draw conclusions even before he briefed the case to him. They looked at each other for a few seconds before Mycroft could get the words out- A Data Researcher went missing this morning at 11 am in Heathrow Airport, everything before 11 am appears normal, except for the fact that no one actually saw her getting out of the plane. We have scanned every camera in London and there is no trace of her. She vanished.

 

-And she was coming back from…?

 

-Helsinki

 

-Was she carrying anything important?

 

-No

 

-Ugh, boring

 

-Don’t start Sherlock. It is a matter of National…

 

-Security, yes. I figured. What was she doing in Helsinki?

 

-Consulting-

 

-Did she contact anyone before her disappearance?- asked Watson

 

-Yes, she sent an email before the jet landed.

 

-Content?

 

-Unimportant- Mycroft stiffened in his seat

 

-Mmmm- Sherlock raised a brow, looking at his brother with amusement- No, sorry, too boring

 

-Sherlock! I’m not asking you if you want to take the case!

 

-Come on, Mycroft!- he got up and grabbed his violin again- One of the Government’s minions is missing, she has nothing important that may be stolen, why such a big fuss about it?

 

-Someone may try to force information out of her, putting in great risk the wellbeing of…

 

-Boring!- said Sherlock before starting to play again

 

Mycroft got up from his seat in one movement and snatched the violin’s bow out of his brother’s hand. John only watched them, startled.

 

-Listen to me, you will take the case and you will find her. If you don’t, i guarantee that you will be sent to that mission on Eastern Europe never to be seen again, do you understand?

 

-Yes

 

He let go of the bow and straightened his suit.

 

-Good, i will send you the information we have so far.

 

-I don’t want your minions involved in this, Mycroft, they are intrusive and distracting, if i need anything from them i’ll go to your office and ask for it.

 

-Then how are we supposed to know who are we looking for?

 

-Mycroft will tell us, won’t you dear brother?

 

Mycroft sighed for what seemed to be the millionth time that day. He hated this. Hated having to depend on his little brother to get her back, but, if he couldn’t trust his brain this time, he most definitely couldn’t trust his employees…

 

-What do you want to know?

 

John Watson was the first to speak.

 

-Name, age, appearance, maybe the other assignments she was working on, an address would be helpful…

 

-The name’s Gaia Brookfield- he felt his mouth going dry at the mere sound of her name- Codename Database

 

-Not very inventive…- Mycroft only glared at him

 

-Tea is ready!- said a cheery Mrs. Hudson from the door, carrying a tray

 

-Thank you, Mrs. Hudson- Mycroft hurried to get a cup of tea and emptied it within seconds- Like i was saying, she works in data, occupying a minor position in the Cabinet Office. Unfortunately, i can’t tell you the rest of her assignments since they are classified.

 

-Minor position as in, your kind of minor position?-

 

-Of course, John! If she were in a really minor position we wouldn’t even be looking for her, am i right, brother?

 

Mycroft chose not to answer and helped himself with another cup of tea.

 

-Any idea of what she looks like?

 

-Yes, Mycroft, do tell us what she looks like!- said Sherlock with a smug grin on his face

 

He looked at the swirling amber liquid in his cup. So much for no one knowing about his relationship. He drank the tea without bothering to answer to any of them. 

 

-Thank you for the tea, Mrs. Hudson- he got up and walked to the door- I will send you a picture and her address to your phone, brother

 

-No, no- he got up from his chair excitedly- You’re taking us there

 

-Why would i do that?

 

-Well, i don’t think you want Mummy to find out you have a girlfriend in such unfortunate circumstances…

 

-What?!- said John, almost spitting out his tea

 

-A girlfriend? Oh, how lovely! When do we get to meet her?- joined Mrs. Hudson, smiling

 

Mycroft groaned and took his phone out of his pocket.

 

-Anthea? I want every agent out of her house NOW, i’m taking Sherlock there. No i don’t need anything. Send her address to the driver. Are you done with the evidence? Well, hurry up then! I thought i made myself clear when i said i wanted things done ASAP.

 

He started to go down the stairs, closely followed by his brother and the doctor, who were rapidly in their coats.

 

-I’m sure i don’t have to tell you, Sherlock, but the nature of my relationship with Ms. Brookfield is unknown to my employees and colleagues, so i have to ask you to keep your comments discreet. If not for my well being and reputation, for hers.

 

-Don’t worry, Mycroft, i’ll keep him under control- John patted his brother’s shoulder- Shall we?

 

They stepped out of the house and walked towards the car, while the cold October wind blew softly. The driver promptly opened the door for them and they squeezed into the backseat.

 

-Now, brother, i need to know what she does for the Government, that may give us a pointer of who may want to take her, if she was taken at all…

 

-I beg your pardon?

 

-Well, she could just as well be running away…

 

-She is not running away, Sherlock! Don’t be ridiculous!

 

-But how do you know for sure?

 

He knew what Sherlock was doing, he was forcing information out of him. Information he was not precisely willing to share. 

 

-She had a...meeting...scheduled for today, and she emailed to confirm.

 

-Oh well, that’s good to know, it certainly narrows the search down

 

-She is Head of the Data Research and Analysis Department.

 

-And that means...

 

-She excels at finding data patterns, to put it in easier words for you, little brother, you give her a haystack and she finds the needle.

 

-Hmmm...interesting…

 

-On her first week leading her department, she found a terrorist cell planning an attack on Trooping the Colour just by reading a conversation about pizza- the corners of his lips drew a small and barely perceptible smile, clearly indicating how proud he was about her work.

 

-Wow, so her brain works like the one of a Holmes family member?

 

-Not quite, Dr. Watson, she finds anomalies in conversation patterns, nouns or words that shouldn’t be there and then crosses some more data...names, dates, bank accounts, security footage and all of the sorts.

 

-Yeah, i want to see the email she sent.

 

-No. I told you, it was confirmation for a meeting.

 

-I need her exact words. Maybe there’s a clue somewhere in the text.

 

-No, there’s not. Leave it alone.

 

-It’s an important piece of evidence that you are…

 

-Of for God’s mercy, will you stop?

 

-Will you let me read the email, brother dear?

 

Mycroft tapped on his phone to access his account, he felt his head throbbing and started regretting going to Sherlock’s in the first place. Now he had a nosey brother and his sidekick meddling not only in a case of National Security, but also on his private life. Sherlock tried to look at the phone screen as he tapped the password that decrypted that particular email.

 

-Was it coded?

 

-Of course it was coded

 

-My God, you Government people...- he rolled his eyes and finally looked at the email, he snorted

 

-Don’t say anything, Sherlock, or i will have you locked up for the rest of the week- Mycroft snatched his phone out of his brother’s hands before he started looking up other things

 

-Does she do that often? Coding her emails?- asked John Watson, always the voice of reason

 

-Yes, work related ones go through standard government procedures to keep the information private. I don’t know about the rest of her personal emails, but others dealing with similar business as the one i just showed you are all coded and password protected.

 

-Same password for every email?

 

-No

 

-So, she is secretive and dare i say, a bit paranoid- Mycroft scowled at his brother

 

The car stopped and the hesitant voice of the driver announced they were at their destination. Gaia lived in an apartments building not too far away from Whitehall, he had been there many, many times in the past and the sudden realization that she would not be there to greet him nor would she arrive later on to be surprised by his presence hit him like a ton of bricks...John got out of the car first, followed by his brother and then himself. He could see a few faces he recognized from her office leaving the building and gasping in horror as they saw him get there. Mycroft walked in front of both John and Sherlock, and the agents lowered their heads as he passed. Damien, Gaia’s PA, was talking to the concierge in the front desk.

 

-I thought i said i didn’t want anyone here when i arrived, Damien

 

-Of course, sir, we were merely talking to some neighbors and the concierge here, trying to establish if there was any suspicious activity on the prior days. Her luggage is already there, and you will find our preliminary research at the airport in the coffee table. We are all done and leaving. 

 

-Hurry, then.

 

Damien nodded and left the building without much fuss. Gaia was right, he was as good as Anthea at his job; but he wished Damien was a bit less good-looking every now and then, his lack of self esteem showed up every time he saw Gaia smiling at the man, damned his blond hair, charming personality and perfectly tailored suits. 

 

-Mr. Holmes! It is an honour, as always- the concierge winked at him, thinking he was keeping Britain’s best guarded secret- Do you need any assistance?

 

-No, we’ll manage on our own- the man lead them to the elevator and smiled widely when it closed its doors

 

Mycroft pressed the button for the 8th floor and they went up, in an awkward silence that only meant Sherlock was thinking many many ways to mock his current situation. The lift stopped and he got out as soon as the doors opened. Her apartment was at the end of the hall and he took the spare keys she had given him. He put in the key and digited the four number password needed to move the key and open the door.

 

-Well, well, brother, spare key and everything- Sherlock mocked- Thing must be pretty serious then…

 

-Oh shut up, Sherlock

 

He opened the door and let the two men enter the flat before going in himself. The drapes were closed and he turned on the living room’s light, his brother rapidly snooping around the room and Dr. Watson grabbing the file that was, as Damien had said, on the coffee table.

 

-Well, she is a practical person and, unlike you, has a good eye for interior design- 

 

Sherlock was right of course, her living room walls were white and the rest of the furniture went from creamy beiges to a wide range of browns, there were scarce pieces of decoration and the only frame hanging on the wall was a Van Gogh replica he had given her for her birthday; there was no television in the room but a high technology sound system was installed, the speakers scattered and barely visible around the living space.

 

-Due to the conditions of the cooking utensils i think she likes to cook, oh, so that’s why that jacket doesn’t quite fit you anymore, brother!- Mycroft only rolled his eyes- She has a superb internet connection, government provided i’m sure, was she sick recently? There’s a lot of vitamins in there. No pets….great! To the next room!

 

He saw Sherlock stomping through the flat gasping and muttering every time he found something interesting. Leaving him to search through the bathroom, he headed to her bedroom, her gray suitcase on top of the double sized bed. He opened it, watching with a pleased grin the perfect order in which she kept her things, every piece of clothing perfectly folded, her shoes at one side of the case wrapped in plastic bags...and her personal phone tucked into the other side. He took it in his hands and stared at it until his brother stormed into the room.

 

-Now that’s what i’m talking about!- 

 

-What is it now, Sherlock?

 

-Well, i was starting to be suspicious about my sister in law, you see, it is a rare occurrence that a woman doesn’t have any photographs of friends and family in her living space, but i guess that is because they’re all here!- he hurried to the wall at Mycroft’s back- Mmmm, old photo, i’m guessing parents…

 

-Yes

 

-Parents again- he scanned through the pictures hanging in the wall- Sister….mmm...no, cousin maybe?

 

-How do you know that’s not her?- asked John from the door

 

-She doesn’t seem like the kind of person who would hang pictures of herself on the wall, John

 

-She is not- Mycroft added- That’s her cousin.

 

-Anything interesting on the suitcase, Mycroft?- 

 

-Her personal phone- he slid it into his pocket- But i will check on that one myself…

 

-Please tell me there are no naked pictures of you on that…

 

-Of course not! I’m not a millennial, Sherlock!

 

-Calm down, it was only a joke! Is there anything else that may be interesting?

 

He took her clothes out of the case with care, arranging them in perfect order at the right side of the bed, taking out piece after piece. Soon he found the box of  Rönttönen that were surely purchased as a souvenir for him, his heart ached...

 

-Well, there’s not much to add to the case with this- John handed the manila folder to his brother- No suspicious activity or inconsistencies in statements, at least not from the immediate crew of that plane in specific. There was no strange vehicle activity and there had been no records of extra luggage or extra containers or packages entering or leaving the airport. Every employee was there, except for one secretary who is on maternity leave since last week, everyone left on time after being interrogated and searched by your agents...everything fits, Sherlock, there’s nothing out of the ordinary here…

 

-Except for the fact that she is missing

 

Mycroft rubbed his eyes. It was like walking in never ending circles.

 

-Oh for God’s sake Mycroft, relax! We’ll find her, she’ll be just fine!

 

-Stop making promises you can’t keep, brother, remember what happened last time you did- he left the room and took his umbrella, discarded earlier besides the bedroom door frame- Let me know if you find anything and close the door after you leave, it will lock automatically.

 

He didn’t hear nor he cared about their reply. He got inside the lift again and leaned as he closed his eyes, the back of his head touching the silver and cold surface of the walls. 

 

It was in times like this, when the answers seemed to slip through his fingers, that he asked himself  _ what would Uncle Rudy do? _

 

He remembered the poise and composure he had in one of the first times they found Sherlock passed out in a pool of his own vomit, after using whatever drug he was into at the time. The cold words of his uncle never left him ever since...

 

_ Caring is not an advantage, Mycroft. _

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone!
> 
> I would like to thank every single person who read, commented and left kudos on this story, the response has been really flattering. I really hope you guys like this one as much.
> 
> As you can see, i wanted to explore Mycrof't inner turmoil with the situation, specially considering the events in season four let us see a bit more of his personality and relationship with his family, and i simply couldn't resist to mention his depressing kitchen and Uncle Rudy...
> 
> Surely the ones who have seen season four will find one or two references, but i will try to leave everything as vague as possible for a while.
> 
> I am purposefully leaving Gaia's physical description in the air because i want you to be able to read it as a Mycroft/Reader if you want to, the only detail i will make clear about her is that she is shorter than Mycroft, something not too hard to imagine, since Mycroft is 1.85 m tall.
> 
> For the ones who, like myself, have never been to Europe, Rönttönen are a traditional dessert in Finland, it's a little pie filled with lingonberry jam. I apologize if any of the geographic or urban references are incorrect, i have been making my research, but something may have slipped so let me know guys :)
> 
> Again, thank you so much for reading and for your support, see you soon!


	3. A Wall And A Barrel

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sherlock has the oportunity to search Gaia's house on his own, the game is on.

**3\. A Wall And A Barrel**

Sherlock looked down to the street and waited to see his brother get in the usual black car. Mycroft looked troubled, to say the least. Under all those layers of rehearsed disinterest, Sherlock saw the fear, raw and destructive, gnawing its way to the surface. It was not the type of fear he had seen before, or the one that showed up when he pushed Mycroft’s buttons hard enough, it was different. He was trying a bit too hard to keep his cool, and for the common eye, he was succeeding. Mycroft knew very well how to keep a facade; he had worked all his life to build that impenetrable armor around himself, and when it slipped, it was always under a calculated and controlled environment with people he knew and sort of trusted or, as it was clear during the Sherrinford events, when he knew he was not being seen by anyone important enough to compromise his position in the British Government; but this time around, it was a whole other situation. An unfamiliar situation…

 

He had been suspecting for a while that his brother was, at least, having an affair; all available evidence pointing towards a female coworker, and when he found Lady Smallwood’s personal number registered in Mycroft’s phone, he deduced it was her…it almost made sense. Mycroft had always showed signs of having mommy issues…Sherlock should have noticed that the scent was different, that his brother’s behavior around the woman had not changed, but his brain decided to ignore those facts for some reason…Maybe it had something to do with his own personal agenda, his new found “domestic” life. He saw the car disappear on the distance and he smiled. It was time to do some real research.

 

Something had caught his eye as soon as he entered the flat, but he could not pinpoint it quite yet…something was off. Something was missing or maybe misplaced. Now, what was that something?

 

John sat down on the sofa, reading the report all over again and Sherlock stepped away from the window to look around the living room again. It was cold, impersonal...had the painting not been there, the flat could have easily passed as a brand new one. Everything was clean to perfection, and it bothered him.. Sherlock could not say as precisely as he’d like that she was as OCD as his brother, he just wasn’t sure...the tidiness was almost surgical...almost. Mycroft had not notice anything unusual, he clearly was familiar with the place and didn’t frown at the cleanliness or the millimetric order, but, could Sherlock trust his brother this time?

 

Something was off…

 

He stood in front of the Van Gogh hanging in a central place on the wall. It was a contrast piece. The blue and pink tones of the Almond Blossom standing out against the predominant browns in the room. The intention of the placement was clear...it had a sentimental value, it was important. He took the painting off its hook and inspected the wall behind it. Nothing apart from the usual changes in the colour of the wallpaper, the wall was near the windows and would receive sunlight often enough to cause the colour to change. Sherlock turned the painting around to examine its frame.

 

_ “Love ceases to be a pleasure, when it ceases to be a secret.” _

 

Sherlock rolled his eyes. Leave it to Mycroft to quote a spy…

 

He hanged the painting again, starting to feel frustrated.

 

“Something is off, Sherlock” said John, stating the obvious for the hundredth time

 

“Obviously, otherwise she would be at Mycroft’s place, eating cake”

 

Sherlock got into her room again, putting the clothes Mycroft had arranged in the bed back into the suitcase. He lift it up. Around 18 kilos. Assuming nothing had been taken besides her phone, it still was within the acceptable weight for hand luggage, specially on a private flight.

 

“John! Does the report say if she documented her suitcase?” 

 

“Let me see..” he shuffled the pages “it's not specified, but it says here that she was carrying only a suitcase and a handbag, only item missing is the handbag, probably taken with her...”

 

“Where did they find the suitcase?” 

 

“Says here someone from her team took it to the car they were boarding after leaving the plane” 

 

“And where was that car?”

 

“Heathrow’s parking lot”

 

“Do you remember when they exiled me, John?” Sherlock smiled, finally, something he could work with...

 

“Yes, i do” John frowned

 

“I was leaving in a private jet, remember? Private jet, private cars in the middle of the landing track, a security detail right outside the plain and a driver in each car…” he paused, waiting for him to realize the big detail the had missed since the beginning.

 

“Why would she have to go to the parking lot when the cars always pick them right there in the landing track?”

 

“Why indeed. And if her suitcase wasn’t documented…”

 

“Why would the cargo staff be needed in the jet?” John completed his sentence “Cabinet or Airport?”

 

“Cabinet” Sherlock glanced around the bedroom for the last time, unable to shake off the feeling that there was a clue there.

 

They left the flat and entered the lift, both of them silent. Sherlock’s phone vibrated in his pocket. He rolled his eyes and looked at the security camera hanging in one of the upper corners of the lift.

 

_ Where to?- M _

 

_ The Cabinet. Seriously, not even a minute?- SH _

 

_ Wait for the car- M _

 

The doors opened and they went out the building, the concierge looking at them, intrigued. John smiled at the man and bid him farewell, but Sherlock ignored him. The sky was getting darker, and the streets were busy, people leaving work, people going home, people, people, people…

 

“So, what do you think happened?” asked John

 

“Kidnapped, definitely kidnapped, but why?”

 

“She is an important member of the Government, you said so yourself…”

 

“Have you read about her in the papers?”

 

“No”

 

“Then how would anyone _know_ she is important?”

 

“The same way people know your brother is important, i guess”

 

“That’s what i’m afraid of…”

 

They got to the sidewalk and waited a couple moments before the car was parking before them. They went in knowing perfectly that they wouldn’t have to tell the driver where to go. Sherlock tried to go into his mind palace, arranging and rearranging the new information, trying to find that thing he had missed in her flat. What was it? Where was it?  He replayed the last few hours in his head while John was silent by his side, Sherlock put his hand above John’s and gave it a squeeze, John entangled their fingers…

 

“I don’t want to say this, i don’t feel good saying this, but i can’t shake the feeling that she is hiding something” he said, his volume closer to a whisper

 

“I know” he looked into John’s eyes and saw his genuine concern

 

SIlence reigned between them again, both lost in thought, until the car parked in front of the Cabinet. They left the car and saw Anthea waiting for them already in the front desk, wordlessly, they followed her through the hallways and she let them into a conference room where Mycroft and a handful of people were already waiting, the blonde man Mycroft had earlier called Damien was by his side and Anthea joined them as soon as they walked in. The more curious employees looked at them and whispered to each other, surely wondering why they were there. 

 

“This report is incomplete” Sherlock threw the folder on the large table. He saw Mycroft raise a brow and look at Damien

 

“I apologize if we omitted any information, surely it’s available here, what exactly do you need?” replied Damien, clearly trained to be diplomatic.

 

“Did she documented her luggage? If so, why would the cargo staff be needed? Why was the car in the parking lot instead of the landing track? Did you talk to the cargo staff? Did you check the Customs Office daily report?” he asked, talking as fast as his mind was going, the room went instantly silent. Second after second passed and no one answered.

 

“Well, which one of you is going to answer?” said Mycroft

 

Damien cleared his throat

 

“The suitcase she was carrying was light enough to be allowed as hand luggage, so it wasn’t documented. The car was in the parking lot because Control Tower at Heathrow needed the landing track as soon as possible, air traffic was packed today, sir”he looked at Mycroft, knowing he was the one he had to explain himself to ”The cargo staff was properly interviewed and we didn’t find any inconsistencies, so we let them go. The Customs Office report turned out clean”

 

“I want to see the interviews” he sat down in one of the executive chairs

 

“Of course, Mr. Holmes” he made a head sign to another agent

 

“Which ones, sir?” said the man, in a barely audible voice

 

“All of them, obviously” replied Mycroft, his hands crossed in front of him.

 

“Right away, sir” 

 

“Go back to your duties, you are dismissed” he said to the rest of the agents, leaning back on his seat. Anthea looked up from her phone to stare at him, Mycroft only nodded at her and she got up, taking Damien and the rest of the staff with her.

 

“I’ll let you know when the videos are ready, sir”

 

The glass door closed and Sherlock turned to shut the blinds. John sat down in front of Mycroft and Sherlock soon followed. Mycroft looked at them, surely reading them like an open book, his impassible expression unaltered.

 

“So, what’s your theory, brother mine?”

 

“She was obviously smuggled out of the airport, those videos may have a clue of her kidnappers or her whereabouts. Too soon to tell, but i have reasons to suspect of an inside job”

 

He only nodded and stayed silent, looking at him.

 

“How much does she know?”

 

“She is a Govern…”

 

“You know what i mean, Mycroft, so don’t play dumb, it doesn’t suit you”

 

Mycroft leaned back again, crossing one of his legs above the other; Sherlock marveled at the sight of his brother...he had just build another layer around himself. Brick after brick, stone after stone. Fascinating. Almost believable. If only he could stop touching Rudy’s ring in his right hand… Mycroft was trying to detach himself from the situation, go back to his Iceman persona, he wanted to be in control of something again…

 

“We are ready for you, sir” said Anthea from the door.

 

“I have several meetings i can’t postpone, Sherlock, i hope you and Dr. Watson find something of use on those interviews” he left the room, leaving them to follow Anthea again and watch endless, boring and unproductive interrogations… The minions were right, it all fit, no suspicious activity before the events, no statement inconsistencies, nothing strange after 11 am. The statistical probability of everyone in the airport to be in a plot for the kidnap of Gaia Brookfield was quite low, everyone knew that the more people involved, the more the failure rate increased. He watched the cargo staff interviews with curiosity, they were lying, he knew that, but they weren’t giving him any hint of where to look next. He asked for the information on the men who were assigned as cargo staff for that landing track and read their files while John looked at the rest of the videos.

 

“Wait! Go back!” 

 

John looked at him and he put his attention back on the screen

 

“Play it”

 

It was a short woman in her late fifties who spoke

 

“No, i did not see anything, the guys in cargo should know, like i already told you, it was a busy day and i had to catch up on work, specially after the mess in Warehouse 3”

 

“Stop” said John

 

“What mess in Warehouse 3?”

 

The agents shuffled around some papers and talked to each other before one of them excused himself and went out the room, saying he needed some more documents to retrieve. Sherlock took his phone out and started googling.

 

“What do you think Sherlock?”

 

“I think you just found the clue we needed to move forward on this case”

 

“Mr. Holmes, the only record we have of disturbance in Warehouse 3 was this morning at 9 am, a 600 lt barrel of cleaning products had a damaged lid and it spilled, a few janitors cleaned the mess and that is pretty much it”

 

“What happened to the drum?”

 

“Well, it says here that it was taken back to the manufacturer”

 

“Call my brother, i want to know in which truck it was taken, and we’ll follow it in the CCTV”

 

Anthea got quickly on the phone and the rest of the agents started typing on their computers in an attempt to find said truck. If Sherlock was correct, and he almost always was, she had been smuggled out on that truck, inside that barrel. But why? Why bother so much with an almost anonymous Government employee going back from Finland of all places? He was sure the two men from cargo staff were behind it, for what he could tell from the interviews and the little information their files provided, they were professional liars, but they had been working at the airport long enough to avoid suspicion, and that fact alone only made things worse.

 

This was a well rounded plot, the kind of plot it takes time to plan. The kind where all loose ends were dealt with...

 

So now the primordial question, the one that could crack the case, was one and  _ only one _ : was Gaia Brookfield a liar or a loose end?

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone!
> 
> I apologize for the delay, but the chapter is finally here. I wanted to introduce a bit of Sherlock's perception of Gaia and Mycroft and also a little bit of Johnlock (because i'm sure it never hurt nobody).
> 
> Thank you very much for your kudos and comments, all of them are very important and encouraging.
> 
> Until next time!


	4. In A Dark Place Somewhere

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gaia wakes up

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A little treat

**4\. In A Dark Place, Somewhere**

 

Gaia felt like she had fell down a million stairs. She woke up with a sharp pain on her ribs, her head was throbbing and one her legs was completely numb. She tried to move but couldn’t, she was dizzy, confused...it was something close to waking up after a long sleep. She was confused and couldn’t tell if it was day or night. There was a bright light in front of her, a painfully bright light; she could not see beyond its shine. Was she still on the plane?

 

She wanted to stretch real badly, regain movement on her numb leg, but she couldn’t. Was it the sleep paralysis again? She closed her eyes again, that light was too much. Gaia tried to breath in and out, tried to relax as she had done many many times in the past when her sleep paralysis showed up, but every breath was like a bite on her ribs and she soon desisted from deep inhaling. Why was every part of her body hurting? She hadn’t even worked out since before Finland…

 

She tried to move again but she soon felt something digging into her ankles and along her legs. Gaia panicked. She was overcome by a sudden and deep fear that made her curl her fingers and open her eyes, her heart started beating faster; she cried in pain when she tried to turn to the other side and her ribcage made a loud crack. 

 

“Finally, she’s awake”

 

“Yeah, i can see that, go call the boss”

 

She heard the voices coming from far behind the brightness and it was then when Gaia remembered the distinctive smell of chloroform in her nostrils...this was bad, really bad. As soon as she realized that she was in danger, potentially mortal danger, she fought once again to move, ignoring the excruciating pain that attacked her right side. It was pointless. She was tied up from shoulders to ankles. The only thing she could move were her fingers and her feet. Soon she realized she was lying on a cold stone floor, zip ties across her entire body, a few ribs quite probably fractured and with no possibility whatsoever to escape.

 

What did the training said about kidnaps and hostage situations?

 

_ Remain calm, try to recognize your surroundings; focus on voices, accents, tattoos, birthmarks, scars and if they ask about classified information, lie. Be convincing. Lie. The Crown and the Government’s safety is and always will be more important than your own. Die if you have to, but don’t give in, someone is probably looking for you already... _

 

_ Mycroft _

 

Her eyes started watering, both from the brightness of the big light in front of her and from the desperation that dominated her every cell…

 

“I’m glad you are finally awake, darling, how are you feeling?”

 

Tears streamed down her face and she started trembling. Gaia knew that voice. She had heard that voice hundreds of times…

 

Suddenly it all made sense.

 

Gaia had played with fire for a long time, and now it was her time to burn.


	5. Domino

**5\. Domino**

 

_ She had met Mycroft Holmes on an elevator a few years ago, back when she was the right hand of a now deceased Cabinet member and could have easily passed for another Anthea or another Damien; she remembered standing besides her boss in an elevator, when the door opened and both Mycroft and Anthea stepped in. Anthea kept on texting relentlessly and gave her a small smile, but Mycroft soon asked her boss who she was, and nodding in understanding, he looked at her.  _

 

_ He really looked at her.  _

 

_ She had heard about it before, her colleagues said he was a human scanner and she had been strongly advised to never ever lie if he asked a question, for everyone said he already knew the answer...but it wasn’t until his steely blue eyes met her own when she knew what everyone was talking about. She felt an urgent need for covering herself, and in an instinctive move, she held her tablet tightly against her chest without breaking eye contact with him. She saw the ghost of a smile hovering his thin lips and he looked away. When the elevator stopped in his floor and he walked out, signature umbrella in hand, she let out a breath she hadn’t realized she was holding. _

 

_ Her boss had laughed and said jokingly that she had just survived her first encounter with the most powerful man in the country and gone completely unharmed.  _

 

_ Sure, she had survived, but she had not gone unharmed; the unique feeling of his blue eyes when they were going through her body was now imprinted in her brain, like carved in stone...from that very moment, she always knew when he was looking at her, and soon noticed that it was more often than what she had initially expected; as a result of this, she started to look back at him whenever she could. Gaia watched him speak with the other Cabinet members in complete awe, he was always in control of every scenario and she could not recall ever seeing him in panic or enraged as she had seen many others. He was the picture you found next to the definition of composure. She was attracted to that sort of thing...the aplomb, the confidence, the dominion and authority. And Mycroft Holmes just so happened to be the very embodiment of all the above. _

 

_ Soon he became the reason she got to work early, or made an extra effort to look nice. Those brief encounters on the lift could make or break her entire day. She sometimes tried to guess which suit he would wear, or which umbrella he would take to work that day. Every morning, without a fail, they would exchange their usual “Morning, Miss Brookfield”, “Morning, Mr. Holmes” on the lift, and that harmless routine went on and on for well over a year. Until those three fatidic days when Mycroft Holmes was nowhere to be seen… She heard rumors on the office about a high security prison, dead agents and a rescue mission on the countryside. Some of the more chatty secretaries said that Lady Smallwood herself had to go and handle some security issues on said prison because Antarctica was unavailable. And if her time in the Cabinet had taught her something, it was that Mycroft Holmes was never unavailable… To put a cherry on top, Gaia felt genuinely worried for his well being when she read about the explosion on Baker Street on the newspapers, but Anthea, as smart as she was, whispered a simple “He is fine” to her one morning when she was on her way to a meeting. It felt like a breath of fresh air. He was fine.  _

 

_ So she rushed to the elevator one morning without any hope of seeing him whatsoever, but, as a happy and very welcome surprise, there he was, British perfection in his navy blue suit and gray tie (that happened to be her favorite at the moment). _

 

_ “Mr. Holmes!” she said, promptly fixing her hair “You’re back!” _

 

_ “Miss. Brookfield, good morning”  _

 

_ A few seconds of silence passed and the elevator doors closed. She should have leave it at that, go back to their routine. But she gathered some courage, fueled by her recent concerns of never seeing him again, and cleared her throat before she spoke. _

 

_ “I’m glad to see you’re safe and sound Mr. Holmes”  _

 

_ He looked at her, puzzled, and Gaia felt her heart racing like never before. She felt this appalling need to run, to leave the country and change her name.  _

 

_ “It’s good to be back, Miss Brookfield” _

 

_ “Gaia, just Gaia is fine” _

 

_ The door opened at his floor and he stepped forward. _

 

_ “See you tomorrow, Gaia”  _

 

_ Her heart skipped several beats, and she smiled. He smiled back at her and went his way. The door closed once again and she closed her eyes in delight. The way her name sounded when he said it was enough to keep her smiling for the rest of the day, she hummed all afternoon and her boss followed along, clearly amused at her good mood. They ended up a long work day singing “You belong to me” by Jo Stafford and laughing at their horrible, horrible singing voices. How a man as kind and lighthearted as Lord Collins had ended up working in the most uptight place in the United Kingdom was beyond her understanding. _

 

_ At 11:32 pm that night, she received an urgent call from Damien. He called from an ambulance transporting their boss, who had suffered a heart attack after a heated discussion with his son. He was alive but his pulse was weak and his wife was deciding whether to accept advanced life support or not in case it came to it. _

 

_ They didn’t even get to the hospital. _

 

_ The paramedics would later declare that he went into cardiogenic shock and the family decided not to reanimate. _

_ She spent all night with Damien and Dora, making funeral arrangements and giving the widow some company while they waited for his body to be released. _

 

_ The next morning, bright and with a sky free of clouds, she was called to an urgent meeting with Lady Smallwood and Mycroft Holmes. She knew it was about the position as Head of Department the minute she answered the phone, they hadn’t call her in code, which meant it was a secured line and, therefore, a confidential matter… _

 

_ “We would like to recommend you for the position, Miss Brookfield” _

 

_ “I-I’m flattered but i don’t know if…” _

 

_ “Cut the modesty, Miss Brookfield, we’ve seen your work” Lady Smallwood flipped through a binder ”In fact, your boss, may he rest in peace, always spoke highly of your skills and dedication and i must say that we agree” _

 

_ “The final decision, of course, it's in the Prime Minister’s hands” said Mycroft, looking at her intently “but we would like to know if you’re willing to take on such responsibility” _

 

_ “It would be an honor to follow his steps” _

 

_ “Very well, then, we will call you when we have news” _

 

_ “Thank you” _

 

_ She left the room and her colleagues swarmed her with questions she didn’t have answers for. She walked to the office she shared with her boss and closed the door, capturing the scent, the silence, the emptiness that now filled it...Gaia felt honoured to be even considered for the job, but there was also guilt, self doubt...would she dare to try and fill in his shoes? _

 

_ A knock on the door startled her and she opened to find Mr. Holmes standing there. She stepped aside to let him in and closed the door once again. _

 

_ “Is there anything i can do for you, Mr. Holmes?” _

 

_ “I just wanted to show my respects, Gaia” she blushed at the sound of her name “My condolences, it was clear that you two were close” _

 

_ “As close as you can be with someone in this business, i guess” she forced herself to smile “Thank you, you’re very kind” _

 

_ “I hope you accept the Minister’s offer, Gaia” _

 

_ “Already? It’s been barely 5 minutes since i left the meeting!” _

 

_ “He hasn’t called, but he will and i sincerely hope you accept” _

 

_ “How do you know? It may be Mr. Ashworth, or maybe someone from outside the Cabinet” _

 

_ “Call it a hunch if you want to. Well, we must leave for the funeral shortly” he got closer to her “I’m sorry for your loss” he kissed her cheek chastely, his thin lips touching her skin for merely a second “but i also look forward to work with you, Gaia” _

 

_ “Likewise, Mr. Holmes”  _

 

_ “It’s Mycroft, just Mycroft”  _

 

_ Gaia looked up to meet his eyes and saw his pupils dilate, leaving barely any room for his blue irises. He was so close she could smell him, she could hear the soft sound of his exhales. It felt… intimate. _

 

_ “I’ll see you later Gaia” _

 

_ “Yes, of course” _

 

_ She walked with him to the door and watched him disappear into the hallway before going back to work, the Cabinet never stopped, and it didn’t really matter if they were grieving, there were always more important matters to attend; and she had a really puzzling one to discover...Lord Collins had mentioned it a few months back. It was the only assignment he was handing personally and specifically to her. Top secret. He said the only thing she needed to do was type a simple command in the computer as soon as she knew he was not coming back. So Gaia sat down and typed; for a second, nothing happened. But then appeared a new folder in the desktop... _

 

_ “May i come in?” she looked at the door and got up immediately _

 

_ “Jonathan! Of course” she walked towards him and held him tight in an embrace “I am very sorry for your loss, you must be devastated” _

 

_ He nodded and let go from the hug, sitting down in one of the office chairs, with her standing close to him. _

 

_ “Thank you for keeping mother company last night, darling” _

 

_ “How are you feeling?” _

 

_ “Like any man in my position would...guilty” _

 

_ “It was not your fault Jonathan, you must know that” _

 

_ “If we hadn’t argue, that heart attack wouldn’t have happened and he would be alive” _

 

_ “There’s no way of knowing that, Jonathan, so don’t punish yourself for it” _

 

_ “I can’t help it...all night i thought of myself as a murderer” _

 

_ “He loved you very much, that is all you need to remember right now” _

 

_ “Has the Prime Minister called you yet?” _

 

_ “No, but Mr. Holmes and Lady Smallwood both think he will” _

 

_ “You should run as far away as you can from those two...and from this job while you’re at it” his eyes filled with tears and he lowered his head _

 

_ “Why do you say that?” _

 

_ “You have a chance at a good life, Gaia, you’re brilliant. Open a private firm, have a family, get away from all this mess...it will end up destroying you like it destroyed my family” he got up from his chair “I care for you too much to stay silent, Gaia. Be smart and leave the Cabinet” _

 

_ “There’s still work to do…” _

 

_ “You sound just like him, darling” _

 

_ “Well, he was my mentor, and he did leave a few assignments left” _

 

_ Jonathan looked at her “Anything i can help you with?” _

 

_ That was her first red flag. Every cell in her body begged her to lie. _

 

_ “No, not really. Unless you like reading thousands and thousands of lines of teenager’s group texts, that is” _

 

_ He relaxed and gave her a coy smile. _

 

_ “Oh you poor thing. I’ll leave you to it” he kissed both her cheeks and added “Will you be joining us for the funeral?” _

 

_ “I wouldn’t forgive myself if i missed it” _

_ “Oh, and Gaia?” _

 

_ “Yes, Jonathan?” _

 

_ “Please give a thought to what i just said...i know in the end you will do whatever you think it’s best for you, but i must insist: leave the Cabinet” _

 

_ “If i don’t get that call soon, you can be sure that i will leave without much as a goodbye” she smiled at him and saw him leave… _

 

_ Something was off with Jonathan, and she was almost positive it was not grieve. He knew he was in complete control of his emotions all the time, as any other highborn British gentleman, and yet he had shed a few tears while talking to her… Gaia had known him since the day she asked Lord Collins for a job, and even when they were not close and meeting every week for the afternoon tea, they had become acquainted over the years. She knew he was devastated and initially blamed his odd behaviour to his pain and guilt, but everything changed when she sat down at the computer once again and opened the folder… _

 

_ Read me.txt was the first thing she clicked on and the screen showed a lengthy text describing her assignment; it put some sense into the red flag she had noticed earlier… In Read me.txt, Lord Collins was giving her specific instructions to put his son Jonathan behind bar for a global arms trafficking operation. The last update from two days ago stated that he had moved his operation once again and the money track had disappeared.  _

 

_ Lord Collins was very meticulous in his explanation; a year ago, he had heard a conversation between his son and who he assumed was a very well known terrorist, they negotiated the price of a large shipment coming from the United States. The nature of the shipment didn’t become clear until days later, when the global news covered an attack to a factory in Texas that happened to be one of the private contractors the US Government use to produce their military-use weapons. That same day, his son had to leave for Liverpool for an “emergency meeting”. She started going through the several files he had saved for her and noticed a distinct pattern: seized weapons, mysterious phone call, emergency meetings all over the world and not long after another attack in Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan, South Sudan, Somalia, Yemen or Libya. There were also some money trails that led nowhere and a few photographs that served as circumstantial evidence against Jonathan Collins and a few other men. The evidence he had gathered left one thing very clear: if Jonathan felt threatened, he changed his MO, accounts, vehicles, phone numbers and location. It was very important that he never suspected she was after him and his accomplices, and was also as important that she never discussed this with anyone at all until she was certain that they had enough evidence to catch him. He was seemingly dangerous, and he didn’t want her to take unnecessary risks. Find the evidence, cross the data and as soon as you are beyond reasonable doubt, report.  _

 

_ “It doesn’t matter what you see or what you think you can prevent, Gaia, let him do it. Don’t ever let Jonathan know you’re after him” _

  
For two years she had been after Jonathan Collins, two years in which she thought she was safe from him and his men. But now, as she laid tied up on the floor, beaten and bruised, she wondered what exactly had made everything fall apart…Had it been the dead of her mentor? Or maybe something as innocent looking and harmless as a smile and a welcome back?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We finally know who is behind Gaia's kidnap, and some back story of how Mycroft met her and how their romance started. 
> 
> Thank you for all the continued support to this story, let me know what you think about recent developments and your suggestions. Every kudo, follow, favorite and comment makes me very happy to keep working on Database. 
> 
> Read you soon!
> 
> S.


	6. New Toys

**6\. New Toys**

 

“I haven’t gagged you yet, Gaia, so i expect an answer when i speak to you”

 

She felt the salty taste of her own tears reaching her lips

 

“Let’s try again, shall we?” he stepped closer to the light and she could see his shadow, and even when she had yet to see his face, she knew his voice well enough to be beyond any doubt that it was Jonathan Collins the one speaking to her “How are you feeling?”

 

She tried to speak, and the little streak of voice that came out of her was coarse and gritty. Gaia cleared her throat before trying to talk again “Nauseous...in pain...confused” she felt a new wave of nausea go through her body as the smell of sewer got to her nose. 

 

“Honestly, darling, what were you expecting after you played God?”

 

“I don’t know what you mean, Jonathan…” 

 

“Of course you do, you silly girl. You stopped me from becoming significantly richer a while ago...remember?”

 

“What are you talking about? Please, untie me, everything hurts…”

 

“Playing dumb isn’t very much like you Gaia, please stop it”

 

“Then tell me what is happening!” she sobbed, before feeling once again the sharp bite of her aching ribs

 

“Get her up” she heard Jonathan say “And untie her...she is not going to escape, right?”

 

“I don’t think i can move at all” she lowered her head, feeling some relief in her tense neck and arms

 

“Well, let’s get you up and see that for ourselves” she heard his voice from further away “We have a lot to discuss”

 

She felt hands going through her body and soon heard the snap of clippers cutting efficiently every single one of the zip ties. The same hands pulled her forcefully from the ground to a standing position in one swift movement that made her head spin again; her knees failed her and she fell to the ground once again, she started moving her toes a little and the tingling sensation of her reestablished blood flow soon warmed her legs a little bit. She was pulled upwards again and she couldn’t help the cry that came out of her lips. Every cell in her body was in pain, but she had to walk...her captors weren’t merciful and they made her take step after step until they passed the light source (that she could see now was a lamp as tall as herself); she walked with much difficulty through the wide and empty room, that resembled of a warehouse...like the ones Mycroft used when trying to intimidate someone... She saw Jonathan through her cloudy vision, affected by the brightness of the lamp, and panicked once again. How much did he knew? 

 

“Help her sit and go guard the door” he said, tapping on his phone

 

The men escorting her pushed her body towards the chair and she barely grasped it.

 

“I said  _ help her sit _ , you baboon!” Jonathan yelled and stood up to help her

 

He tapped his phone for another minute or two, and she tried to recognize or map her surroundings, without much success; her mobility was quite affected and she couldn’t see beyond her peripheral vision. 

“What am i going to do about you, Gaia?”

 

“Take me to a hospital, maybe?” she said, in a low tone

 

“Darling, i can’t let you go, you know that”

 

“I still don’t understand why, Jonathan”

 

“Stop lying or you’re going to make me very upset. Now, let me refresh your memory…” he put the screen of his phone in front of her face, showing her a news site reporting the seizure of three industrial containers filled to the brim with illegal and unregistered weaponry. She had reported the containers, and now Jonathan knew…

 

“The stupid news report says it was an anonymous tip, but we know better don’t we, darling?”

 

“I didn’t know it was you…”

 

“I have asked you numerous times to stop lying, Gaia…”

 

She did not say a word for a few seconds and stared at him, assessing the situation...he was clearly upset, and obviously carrying a gun; there were at least two other armed men in the building and she was hurting all over, with limited mobility and no back up…

 

“Your associates were going to attack a Children’s Hospital, Jonathan, what was i supposed to do?”

 

“Stay out of it, like i do”

 

“Do you have any idea of how many children, parents and medical staff are in that Hospital?”

 

“I don’t give a crap!” he stood up and she recoiled in her chair “You made me lose millions of pounds, and now, thanks to your heroic bullshit, i am having trouble with new contracts”

 

“Are you going to kill me?” she looked at his eyes, fury lying beneath their surface

 

“Oh no, Gaia, for Christ’s sake, no!” he laughed and she heard the echo resonating through the entire room “I’m not a murderer… well, not directly at least…”

 

“Then why am i here?”

 

“You are going to fix this little mishap”

 

“I’m not going to help you get your weapons back”

 

“No, but you will help me get some new ones” he smiled wickedly at her “well, only if you want things to go back to normal, that is…”

 

“I don’t care if i die Jonathan, so if the plan includes getting rid of me in case i refuse your  _ very kind _ offer , you can do it at once”

 

“I know you wouldn’t mind dying for this noble cause of yours; father would be proud of you, and so very disappointed at the same time...i’m sure he told you not to get involved before you were sure you could catch me and dismantle my operations, but you listened to your silly little heart...”

 

“I don’t regret it” Jonathan scoffed at her words

 

“Of course you don’t. Not yet at least”

 

His phone rang loudly and he answered at once, without saying anything. She could hear a muffled voice in the line, but couldn’t quite figure out the words...Jonathan started pacing around the chair she was sitting in and soon began to play with some strands of her hair.

 

“So, how much do we have?” he ran his fingers through his hair and sat down in front of her again “Mmmm, okay, i can work with that” he hung up the phone and stared at her “Well, it turns out we don’t have as much time as i had previously anticipated”

 

“I’m not helping you”

 

“Yes you are, darling girl” he smiled “But before we get to the boring details of how you are going to fix this, we need to leave...turns out the Cabinet has Sherlock Holmes himself looking for you. Are you really that important?”

 

Gaia couldn’t help the way her eyes widened at the sound of Sherlock’s name. Surely, it was Mycroft’s attempt to get her back as soon as possible. She knew how relieved and hopeful she was supposed to feel, but an unforeseen fear took over...Mycroft was going to endanger himself  _ and _ his family because of her. She had to do something, anything, to keep Jonathan away from them.

 

“You know The Cabinet would do anything to keep their secrets safe”

 

“Oh really? And how many of those do _ you _ have, exactly?” he signaled the guards with exasperation and she was pulled up by the arms to a standing position “We are leaving, put her on the trunk of my car and get us out of here”

 

Two men mumbled their responses and basically dragged her across the warehouse towards Jonathan’s car, pushing her and causing a new wave of pains and cracking bones. His captor was standing nonchalantly right next to the car and smiled with a wicked and terrifying grin that made her shiver in an instant.

 

“It’s time for another nap, Gaia, sleep tight!” he pushed a damped cloth onto her face and she struggled, moving her face to the sides, but she knew it was futile...it was pointless...the darkness was pulling her once again into its embrace and there was nothing she could do about it.

 

* * *

 

Mycroft watched the screens as the agents tracked down the cargo trucks that had left Heathrow that morning. He had left the meeting as soon as they let him know that Sherlock and Dr. Watson had a lead; knowing that he didn’t need to excuse himself, he went on to find his brother, finding him in the surveillance room, looking attentively to the screens playing a frame by frame video of the trucks as they left the airport. 

 

“Any activity on her online accounts?”

 

“No, sir, there hasn’t been any activity on her accounts, her credit cards, nothing so far” one of the younger agents said promptly

 

“We’re trying to figure out exactly in which truck they put the container, since someone graciously omitted to write down that information. Tracking the route should be easier from then on” John puntualized, trying to reassure him

 

“And i keep telling John that it was obviously the truck on the right screen, large enough cargo space, plain colors, no stickers, no brands anywhere...those are our guys…”

 

Mycroft raised a brow and looked at his brother.

 

“Stop wasting our time, Sherlock” he said, not to happy about his brother’s need to appear stupid, and pointed to a truck in the central screen “Follow that one, i’m sure it’s headed to the piers but sweep for any stop at parking lots, warehouses, the usual”

 

The team muttered a series of “yes sir” and he caught John smiling at Sherlock, it was then when he noticed…his brother was trying to make him feel better by making him look (and feel) smarter.

 

“Stop, it” he rolled his eyes “If you think you are helping, you’re mistaken”

 

“I don’t know what you’re talking about”

 

“Yes, of course you don’t. Limit yourself to do the job, Sherlock, i really have no patience to deal with you right now”

 

The room went silent, and they watched the screens for a few more moments before it became obvious the truck was headed to the Industrial Park. Glancing at Sherlock, he knew it was a matter of time before he came to the same conclusion.

 

“I want a car, John will drive us there and i’ll do some more research...my network should be useful on this one”

 

“Arrange the car, Anthea” the woman nodded and left the room promptly, the rest of the agents started looking at each other, clearly looking for the piece of information they had missed, so he felt in the need to clarify “Keep an eye on the Industrial Park, all vehicles arriving and leaving since noon, i want at least one of you watching the live feed, maintain contact with the car so Dr. Watson can follow the vehicle in case of a persecution”

 

Another round of “yes, sir” and he started walking out of the room, closely followed by Sherlock and Dr. Watson

 

“You should go home, Mycroft, you look like garbage”

 

“Why, thank you Sherlock, but i have work to do”

 

“We’ll let you know if we find anything, let’s go” Watson pulled his brother by the sleeve and he saw them walk down the corridor for a second, hoping with all his heart that they would find something, anything that could help them. He was not naive, he knew they wouldn’t find her in the Industrial Park, the place was most likely a stop to switch vehicles and there was little hope that she’d still be there at this time of day.

 

Mycroft took a step forward, pondering for a minute about going to his office, but instead, he walked down the hallway as well and headed to Gaia’s sanctuary, her school and church...her office. He knew Gaia, he knew she had left her laptop behind, carrying the absolutely necessary and nothing more. Maybe her tablet had been in her handbag, but there was nothing of serious importance in the device, he was sure of that, at least. The email had to be sent from somewhere, and with her phone perfectly placed on the luggage, her tablet was the only logical option.

 

Her team was startled when he walked through the door, and Damien was promptly up on his feet, walking beside him, he opened the door and let him inside.

 

“No disturbances, please”

 

“Yes, sir”

 

The door closed behind him and he inhaled deeply, a faint ghost of her perfume gracing the air and making his heart clench in pain. He remembered the first time they were on her office just the two of them...he had been bold, bolder than he had initially intended to, and kissed her cheek. It had bordered stupidity, to approach her when she was mourning, but he had to know, he had to find out if she felt the same way he did, he had to know if it was just another one sided infatuation or if it had the chance of being something more… And he did find out, he kissed her cheek and saw beyond her coy smiles in the elevator, he saw past her polite words and her sweet welcome, he saw her pupils dilate, he felt her breathing change, he felt the quickly rising pace of her heartbeat...And now it was all potentially gone. Her phone felt as heavy as an anchor in his pocket, and he sat down, gently touching the fake leather of the chair with the tip of his fingers and finally retrieving the smartphone. He stared at it.

 

Mycroft was aware of the lack of password, something that annoyed him to no ends, and he kept insisting on it relentlessly every time she pulled out her phone. Thank God she had not listened. He pressed the power button and slid a finger over the screen to unlock it. He turned off the airplane mode and a couple of notifications showed up on the screen, one text from their favorite bakery and a few others from Damien and Anthea, all of them received after eleven am. He got rid of the notifications and stared at the screen with a clenched jaw and an aching heart. The wallpaper on her phone was a picture of his hands, his golden ring fully on display, he seemed to be holding a newspaper or a file, the white cuffs of his shirt peeked under the hems of his black suit jacket. It was a recent change, the wallpaper, maybe she had done it while she was on Finland, had she missed him? Had she thought of him as much a he had thought of her?

 

He started reading, with a pinch of guilt, all of her texts and messages; he went swiftly through her entering calls and saw nothing out of the ordinary, a call from a cousin, an embarrassing amount of texts from himself. He sighed. She was clean. Mycroft knew she was clean. She had no reason to lie or to be secretive about anything...he would’ve known.

 

Mycroft felt the phone buzzing in his hand, taking him out of the infinite train of thought he had immersed into.

 

It was a reminder alarm.

 

_ Check on Syria. CSH. LMCH? _

 

He frowned. Making a quick list of every possible place, institution, covered operation and suspect the Cabinet had on Syria...CSH...Children’s Specialty Hospital… but LMCH? He walked out of the office.

 

“Damien, I want a list of all active investigations on Syria”

 

“We just have three active investigations, sir. Two terrorist cells and a possible human trade operation”

 

“Do any of those involve Hospitals? Children’s Hospitals?”

 

“Not to our knowledge, sir, there were a few attacks around three months ago, they bombarded the University Hospital and some others, but we have already concluded our inquiries there, so far, there’s been no evidence of any possible attack on other medical centers, Intel is keeping an eye on them”

 

“And you are positive that Miss Brookfield hasn’t reported anything on the subject…”

 

“Yes, sir” the silence in the room was overwhelming “Did you find..?”

 

“I’m not sure”

 

He walked back into the office and sat down in the desk again. He pulled the laptop out of one the drawers and turned it on. He waited patiently as the screen lit and the software started to run, trying to think on possible explanations for LMCH… Louisiana’s Methodist Children’s Home? Liaquat Medical College Hospital? Lake Merwin Campers Hideaway? It just didn’t sound right…

 

Why would Gaia need a reminder on Syria? Why a Children’s Hospital, specifically? LMCH could also be a Children’s Hospital, and given the rest of the text, it could also be in Syria. Latakia, perhaps? 

 

There had been a few conversations on the previous Cabinet meetings about the surveillance and Intel in Lattakia, even when the UK kept its distance and did not intervene, they were keeping a close eye on the Russians and the islamic extremists, after all, Latakia was an important port for Syria, and losing it to ISIS or other terrorist groups was a big step back and a menace for the global safety. The latest reports showed no sign of immediate threat or potential danger, and the city continued to function despite the constant shootings and conflicts. Latakia Maternity and Children’s Hospital. That had to be it.  He pressed the red button on the intercom.

 

“Damien, what do we have on Latakia?”

 

“No immediate threat, constant conflict, daily protests”

 

“I want a full report as soon as possible”

 

Mycroft stared at the blinking text cursor on the screen, waiting for him to type in the password. A password he wasn’t supposed to have. A password he had guessed a while ago by listening to the gentle tapping of her fingers on the keyboard and the light wear on each key...Gaia was going to be furious at him when she got back...if she came back, a voice on the back of his head corrected. He typed the password and the screen soon shifted.  He went through every file, image, text note and folder for what appeared to be hours without rest. At some point, Damien came in and left the report he had asked earlier, but he didn’t care, there was so much on her laptop and yet, nothing. He heard the distinct sound of Anthea’s high heels and lift his head to see her.

 

“Mr. Holmes and Dr. Watson got to the Industrial park a while ago, sir”

 

“And?”

 

“I’m sorry sir, she was not there” she lowered her head, avoiding his gaze “We have a list of possible vehicles, but they all leave London, and it’s going to be more difficult to track them if they leave for the countryside, sir”

 

He sighed deeply.

 

“And by that you mean that they have already left for the countryside, am i correct?”

 

“Yes, sir, i’m sorry”

 

“That’ll be all, Anthea”

 

“Sir, with all due respect, you should go home and rest; we’ll continue for the rest of the night and let you know as soon as we have an important lead”

 

“Anthea, what do you know about Latakia?”

 

“It’s a city in Syria, a neutral ground of the sorts, there’s a Russian military post there, any specifics?”

 

“Any memory of Miss Brookfield showing interest in the place?”

 

“Not that i can recall, sir” she frowned “Did you find anything there, sir?” she pointed to the laptop

 

“I’m on it, bring Damien in”

 

She walked to the door and he kept on looking carefully at the files on the screen. They were work related, sure, but they seemed sort of...unimportant, if that was even possible in their work line. He had the feeling that there were hidden files on that computer and he didn’t have a clue of where to find them...he had typed in several commands and they came out empty, no change whatsoever on the content or the number of the documents. It was bloody frustrating.

 

“Damien, i want you to take a careful look to Ms. Brookfield’s computer and tell me if you find anything out of the ordinary. I figure you have at least glimpsed at the contents once or twice, right?”

 

“Only per request, sir” the man approached him and took a glance at the screen, frowning immediately after “This can’t be hers”

 

“What do you mean?”

 

“There’s a lot of things missing here, folders, individual files, pictures…”

 

“Any idea of why she would hide those files?”

 

“No, sir, i don’t think she…”

 

“Take the computer to systems, i want every piece of information from that computer, no excuses” he closed the laptop and lend it to his assistant

 

“Right away, sir” they both left the office, leaving him with a disconcerting feeling that he may not know Gaia as much as he claimed and that she was more secretive than he had initially thought. It worried him immensely.  What had she gotten herself into?

 

His phone rang and he saw Sherlock’s name appear on the screen.

 

“Yes?”

 

“Let’s meet at her place, i need you to find something for me”

 

“Is this one of your..?”

 

“Can you be there or not?”

 

“Fine, i’ll wait for you”

 

It took Mycroft twenty five minutes to get to her apartment, it was almost midnight and the accumulated weight of the day’s worries was starting to feel like a bit too much to handle. He crossed the lobby of her apartment complex without looking to the Concierge, he positively hated that man, and soon he was once again in the solitude of her flat. He stared at the Van Gogh replica on her pristine white wall, remembering how happy she was when she received it as a birthday present, he was out of the country in one of the many international crisis he had to deal with, and he told her that they would celebrate properly when he got to London. Gaia had called him right after receiving the present and she sounded so happy that he felt the sudden urge to cut his business trip short and go to her. Then it hit him. There was something odd, something out of place...something a bit more to the right or the left. A surplus. He paced around the living room, looking at the crooked placing of one of the sofa cushions. There was a knock on the door and he hurried to open.

 

“So, did you find it?”

 

“Under the cushion, i think” he pointed towards it

 

“Of course! It had to be the bloody sofa!” Sherlock said, frustrated “If you hadn’t been sitting on it earlier, John, i would have noticed it”

 

Watson rolled his eyes and walked closely behind him.

 

Sherlock lifted the cushion and snatched a few paper sheets swiftly. He paced around the living room, ruffling his hair with one hand as he read through the pages. Mycroft felt like punching him.

 

“Let me see”

 

“Mycroft, there’s something you need to know” said John, beside him “We did find something on the Industrial Park” he took a plastic bag out of his pocket and showed it to him, he took it and stared at it, feeling the constant and loud thumps of his heartbeat inside his head, like a hammer trying to break his skull. Her golden umbrella pendant. A little trinket she had found in the marketplace, and that he had sent to coat in gold several months ago. She wore it all the time, in a long golden chain that she could hide under the cleavage of any of her dresses or shirts. “It was on the floor, we found no trace of blood though, so that’s a good sign i guess”

 

“You should send it as evidence for a complete analisis, i’ll call…”

 

“We’ll give it to Molly and send you the results, if that’s okay”

 

He nodded. It would help covering their relationship for a little longer.

 

“Some people in Sherlock’s network said there were a few strange vehicles coming and going all afternoon, one of them overheard the words  _ new toys coming _ , some others confirmed the vehicles leaving five to ten minutes before we got to the Park”

 

“Five to ten?”

 

“They knew we were coming”

 

That was worse than he imagined. So much worse. There was a mole in the Cabinet. On the other hand, he was familiar with the criminal slang and  _ new toys _ only meant two possible things: white slave traffic or weaponry. None of them too encouraging.

 

“Mycroft…”

 

They both turned to look at Sherlock

 

“What was your girlfriend into with this?”

 

He took the papers from Sherlock’s hand and sat down, watching in disbelief a handwritten list of every raided and bombarded city on the last three months. All of them crossed out except for two: Children’s Specialty Hospital and Latakia Maternity and Children’s Hospital.  He groaned and covered his eyes with his hands in exhaustion.

 

“My guess is that she’s either doing something really bad or something really stupid” said Sherlock, sitting by his side

 

“All of this places were either bombarded with unidentified explosives or assaulted with unregistered weapons of military grade, what does that tell you, brother dear?”

 

“Stupid thing it is”

 

“Yes, indeed” he pulled out his phone and called Anthea, who picked up after the first tone “Anthea, any progress on the laptop?”

 

“Not much, systems is trying to figure out the password, but since the possibilities are endless it may take a few hours”

 

“Good, now, go to my office and call me back when you’re there, there’s some private information i need to share”

 

“Yes sir, i’ll go get those files”

 

He smiled and hung up.

 

“My sister in law is far more interesting than i had initially thought, good job Mycroft”

 

“Could you please shut up?”

 

“I’m just saying, i always thought you’d end up with Lady Smallwood or someone of the sorts”

 

“Sherlock…”

 

He was interrupted by the buzz of his phone.

 

“Anthea, we have serious reasons to believe there’s a mole in the Cabinet leaking information to whoever kidnapped Ms. Brookfield; i’ll be giving the real information and assignments to Sherlock and his associates, and you’ll give fake intel to everyone in the Cabinet. Now, go straight to the vigilance room and sound surprised to everything i say, say something when you get there”

 

“Yes, sir” he waited “Yes, yes, of course we still have eyes on the identified vehicles”

 

“We found evidence in Ms. Brookfield’s flat suggesting she may have been involved in illegal arms trafficking, Anthea”

 

“She was doing what?”

 

“Tone it down, Anthea, make it believable. Now, she may be leaving the country and if she does, the Interpol will take the case, in the meantime, she’s no longer our priority, we’re handing the evidence to the MI6 and keep on functioning according to protocol”

 

“MI6? Does that mean Damien is taking over Data Research, sir?”

 

“No, he may be involved, everyone on her team is strongly advised to stay in London and wait for an MI6 citation to testify. Notify them and dismiss the team”

 

“Should we still follow the cars, sir?”

 

“No, but i want her phone records, all of them”

 

“Yes, sir”

 

“That’ll be all Anthea, send me the phone records when you have them. Hung up now”

 

The line went dead. He leaned back on the sofa and crossed one leg above the other.

 

“And now we wait”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, i apologize for the delay, this chapter has been a pain in the ass to write. I wrote and re wrote at least six times and i'm not even sure i like the way it turned out...but well, here it is. Past this point, things are going to move more swiftly and there's a lot coming for both Gaia and Mycroft.
> 
> As you can see, at least a bit of all that rehearsed indifference has rubbed off on Gaia, but we'll have to see if it plays on her favor.
> 
> Every Hospital, place and organization mentioned in this chapter are real, but i'm not sure if they still stand. The little information provided by the media is not enough to be sure of the status of both Hospitals today. Latakia is an important city in Syria, its main port, so it may be a crucial loss or victory when the time comes...
> 
> I promise you will have the next chapter really soon, since it's being a bit easier to write than this one.
> 
> Thank you very much for all the support!
> 
> S.


	7. Performer

**7\. Performer**

 

They sat down in Gaia’s living room in absolute silence for a couple minutes, Sherlock was by his side, always fidgeting, and he pulled out a cigarette that Mycroft promptly took away from his fingers.

 

“She doesn’t like it when i smoke inside her house. You can go to the service stairs if you need to do it”

 

“Fine” he slumped on his place on the sofa, looking like a child ready to throw a tantrum. He started fidgeting again

 

“There’s snacks on a cabinet in the kitchen” Mycroft said, rolling his eyes.

 

Sherlock was promptly up in his feet and going through all the kitchen cabinets. He came back with a small bag of pretzels and offered some to John.

 

“Sherlock, i think we should go, Mrs. Hudson must be worried and i wouldn’t want to impose Rosie on her again”

 

“You go, i’ll stay in case there’s new developments”

 

“You don’t need to, Sherlock, i’ll call you in case you are needed”

 

“I already said i’m staying, Mycroft, stop being annoying”

 

“I am not the one who’s being anno…”

 

“Yeah, ok, i’m going to leave, call or text if you need anything” 

 

Dr. Watson stood up and Sherlock did as well, walking with him to the door, both of them exchanging a few words before kissing goodbye for the night. Mycroft looked at them, a small pleased smile drawn on his lips that he didn’t bother to hide even when Sherlock was walking back to the living room.

 

“Took the two of you long enough…” he pointed to the now closed door.

 

“Mmmm, yes” he sat down and started eating pretzels once again “But it’s happening now, and i intend to enjoy it for as long as it may last”

 

“Wise words, brother dear”

 

“So, Mycroft, is your girlfriend a dragon slayer as well?”

 

“Ha. No, quite the contrary i’m afraid. Should i make some tea?” he went straight to the kitchen, closely followed by his brother.

 

“Yes, a nice cup of black tea would be nice, thank you”

 

Mycroft started taking out the kettle and cups, waiting for the inevitable interrogation he would be submitted to.

 

“Is she a delicate little flower like the ones Mummy so desperately wants us to marry, then?”

 

“Not entirely” he cringed at the memory of their mother trying to set them up with random women every time they showed up at a gathering “She is quite timid, a creature of habit, if you fancy calling it that” he made a pause as he stared mindlessly at the kettle that was now heating on the stove. “She knows how to put up a fight...you should see her on a meeting, she is…” he watched the flames flicker around the base of the kettle “She is everything, Sherlock”

 

And for once, his brother stayed silent.

 

“I took her to Musgrave Hall once” he turned to face Sherlock, hoping that his eyes or his expression could tell him the things he couldn’t find words for “I don’t know why i did it, but one morning i took her there and we walked on the stream shore, we went around the ruins…”

 

“Did you talk to her about Eurus?”

 

“Not all of it, but yes” the kettle started whistling and he set it aside, fixing the cups while Sherlock rumbled around the drawers trying to find the spoons “She said i should renovate it, go back to the ancestral family home”

 

“And leave Rudy’s house and all of its creepy portraits?”

 

Mycroft couldn’t help but smile.

 

“I still don’t get why she would hide this from me, i could have helped her, with whatever it is she is doing…”

 

“Even if it’s illegal?”

 

“Mmmmm, you make a fair point” he dipped the tea bag in and out of the cup, watching the water turn colors as he did “Tell me, what’s your theory?”

 

“Same as yours, i believe. She is either helping or trying to catch some bad guys...i’m guessing for personal motivations,and that’s what intrigues me the most. What personal business does she have with the Middle East?”

 

“None that i know of. All her family is English, no one is on the military or has business big enough to export or trade…”

 

“There are two spots on the list that she hasn’t crossed out, why?”

 

“They haven’t been attacked”

 

“But they have...there’s been an alarming number of shootings and not so pacific protests on both Aleppo and Lattakia lately”

 

“It’s a matter of control, Sherlock, if the city loses a hospital, it becomes easier and easier for any group to control...” he left the tea bag sink in the cup and went to the living to get the list once again. He read a reread, trying to figure out what all those places had in common besides their recent destruction. “This is not a list of  _ all _ the recently destroyed locations, Sherlock, this is a list of her guesses...she was crossing data…”

 

“Crossing data and trying to predict future attacks, but based on what?”

 

“ _ New toys _ . Armament. Weapons” he started pacing around as Sherlock typed furiously on his phone

 

“Media says unidentified weapons”

 

Mycroft’s brain started making associations on its own. He knew that every raid had involved military grade weapons and explosives, and he knew the ongoing investigations regarding the source of said armament were fruitless, governments covered their own asses and stayed silent even if they had knowledge of where the weapons were coming from… There had been reports of disappeared explosive non radioactive materials, a factory making assault rifles and ammunition had caught on fire several months ago and an anonymous tip had led to the seizing of containers filled with unregistered automatic rifles, grenades and metric tons of ammo quite recently...

 

“Oh please, no...” he muttered between teeth “Oh no”

 

“What is it?”

 

“Gaia is after the supplier” Mycroft said, his voice faltering as he tried to get the words out of his mouth “The...the news of the containers, do you remember?”

 

“Please don’t tell me you believe she…”

 

“Yes, i think” he sat down, the degree of his worry clear as day on his face, he tried to loosen up his tie “She tipped the police and whoever the supplier is, they know it was her”

 

“And they kidnapped her because of it”

 

“Why would she do something so bloody stupid?! Is she mad?!”

 

“Calm down Mycroft, you are not helping our case”

 

“Oh shut up, Sherlock, don’t try to be the calmed one right now”

 

“Pffft, me? It would take a good amount of morphine to do that. Listen, all i’m saying is that we have to catch our mole. That way we don’t need to wait for her computer or anything else. Get the mole, get the supplier, get your girlfriend back”

 

“If she’s not already dead”

 

“Well isn’t that a positive spirit?”

 

“If they haven’t killed her yet, they surely have plans for her then”

 

“Yes, but we’ll buy Ms. Brookfield some time if we make them believe that we have no idea what they’re up to. Make her look as guilty as you can, leak it to the press or something…”

 

“I’m not going to tarnish her reputation because of this, there must be another way”

 

“Mycroft, you can control what the media says and how they say it. We have the upper hand now”

 

“Do we, really?”

 

“Feed the mole and let’s see how they behave...you have to let this cool down a little, Mycroft, don’t look desperate or even interested in finding her from now on. You should know how to do that”

 

Mycroft approached the window, watching the eerie looking street, illuminated only by the street lamps, that accentuated the thick fog that now covered the city. It was past midnight now...Was she sleeping? Was she hurting? Was she alive? She had to be. Otherwise, he would be broken beyond repair.

 

* * *

 

Gaia felt the warm water going down her aching body, soothing her senses even if it was in a minimum amount. Her stomach was almost settled, after spending the majority of the night throwing up in the toilet. Chloroform was not a gentle chemical, and she felt the exhaustion building up along the side effects of the dreaded substance. Naked as she was on the shower, Gaia could see the bruises going darker and the burn marks from the zip ties becoming more evident as time passed.  The skin above her battered ribs was very sensitive and even the light kiss of the water running over it turned out to be painful. She winced at every attempt on moving her arms freely and her limbs still felt heavy. She turned off the shower and got out with a lot of difficulty, it was going to take her forever to get dressed on the silk pajamas Jonathan had so kindly given her so she could change off her ruined dress and jacket.

 

She had woke up the previous night on the bed of a luxurious room, recently changed wallpaper, tall ceilings and floor to ceiling windows. There was a woman sleeping in a chair close to the bed and she woke up as soon as Gaia tried to get up. The room was dark, but she could see an open field outside the windows. She realized quickly that Jonathan had taken her out of London, reducing significantly her chances to be found...but Mycroft was looking for her, and now Sherlock was too. They were going to find her, she knew they would. It was just a matter of time. She just had to buy herself some time…

 

When she was finally dressed, she got out of the bathroom and walked towards the bed, sitting there with difficulty.

 

“Good morning, darling” Jonathan entered the room with parsimony, closely followed by a maid carrying a tray “I have some breakfast for you, to help you regain your strength and such”

 

The maid approached her and left the tray on the nightstand, bowing slightly towards Jonathan before leaving.

 

“Did you get a good night sleep, Gaia?”

 

“No, i did not, if you must know”

 

“Well, that’s a shame, you’re going to have to work anyways…”

 

“I figured as much”

 

He sat by her side on the bed and played with the wet ends of her hair.

 

“You have such pretty hair, Gaia” he whispered “And to think i could do anything to you right now” he put a hand around her throat and forced her to look at him “It would be so easy, to take a kiss” he leaned in “or maybe something more than a kiss” she tried to move her head to the side and felt the grip of his hand tightening around her neck “But we have so much to do today, my dear…maybe after dinner we’ll get to spend some  _ quality time _ together”

 

He let go of her neck and got up from the bed.

 

“Eat something and meet me downstairs when you’re done, there’s something you need to see” he left the room, closing the door behind him.

 

She took a toast from the tray, and took a bite from it, trying to regain her composure and not cry once again, but her mouth felt dry and her eyes instantly got wet. She threw the toast back on the tray again, and started shaking with fear, with anger, with frustration...she couldn’t fight the sobs coming out from her mouth and she covered her eyes with her palms, letting herself cry freely for a minute. When her sobs died down, she rubbed her eyes furiously and cleared her throat, taking a sip of her tea (fearing she wouldn’t be able to stomach much more than that). She had to get out of this somehow, she had to think. She was not a child for God’s sake. She was a smart and capable woman, and she was going to get out of this, no matter the cost.

 

What would Mycroft do in a situation like this?

 

By now, he would surely had predicted exactly what his captors were about to do and what they wanted from him. Then he’d found a way to stall them, or to send a hidden message that would increase his possibilities of being rescued. Mycroft would look for a weakness, and he would check to see if looking very scared or not scared at all would help his chances… Jonathan wanted her to be scared, that was for sure, he wanted to have control over her. But how could she give him a fake sense of security without risking herself?

 

She got up from the bed slowly, taking step after painful step towards the door and into the empty hallway. She looked around, looking for some pointers that would give an approximate location, but the bare walls and the smell of paint weren’t helping her much. She got down the stairs, where the maid that had look after her at night was waiting for her, without saying a word, the woman took her arm and helped her go down the stair gently, trying not to look her in the eye. The woman was scared. 

 

“Thank you” she smiled faintly at the woman “I’m sorry, i didn’t catch your name”

 

“It’s not important” she denied with her head, clearly distressed  “was your breakfast adequate, Ms?”

 

“I didn’t eat much of it, but yes, thank you”

 

She bowed her head and led her through the well illuminated corridors; when they entered what she assumed was the living room, she saw the back of Jonathan’s head as he was sitting in the couch, facing the flat screen in the opposite wall. 

 

“Gaia, is that you? Come sit with me, i want to show you something”

 

A cold shiver went down her spine, remembering his hands around her throat, and she was led by the maid towards the couch, sitting down in it unwillingly. He didn’t take his eyes off the screen and pressed a few buttons on the remote, making the images rewind at a fast pace. Apparently, something in the news was interesting enough to be recorded...

 

“Listen carefully darling” he pressed the play button

 

_ “After several reports of heavy police mobilization on the area surrounding Heathrow Airport yesterday in the early hours, we wake up this morning with unsettling news: MI6 has reported to the international press that Gaia Brookfield, whose picture you can see now in your screens, a prominent member of The Cabinet, is involved in an illegal arms trafficking operation. It appears that she and her accomplices have fled the country after an anonymous tip resulted in the confiscation of several metric tons of unregistered military degree weapons. If you have any information on this person’s whereabouts, please contact the number you see on your screens...” _

 

Everything went numb around her, she was stunned, Gaia saw in the corner of her eye a satisfied smirk plastered in Jonathan’s face. He was pleased...but she was about to start jumping up and down in pure bliss. It was all an act. Mycroft knew about the anonymous tip. He had to know it was her. And now he was handing her the perfect opportunity to play the scared little kitten for Jonathan, giving her time to figure out a way to either get out or give them a clue on how to catch him. 

 

“Now take a look at this”

 

_ “Sources close to The Cabinet’s office say that Sherlock Holmes, the famous detective, was in the search of Ms. Brookfield, who’s been on the run since yesterday morning. We caught a word with him as he left 221B Baker Street earlier today and this what he had to say’’ _

 

Gaia saw Sherlock’s annoyed face, trying to cover his face from the nosey reporters with one arm.

 

_ “This is obviously about money...it's the most boring case i’ve encountered in a while, that’s why i’m no longer on it. I helped The Cabinet to establish motive and possible locations. Now it’s time for the MI6 and the Interpol to do their jobs. As Inspector Lestrade would very accurately say: Not my division. Now scuttle, i have to get to St. Bart’s Hospital immediately” _

 

The reporter showed up on the screen again and Jonathan paused the recording.

 

“So, what do you think?”

 

“I think i need some time to...process all of this…”

 

“They threw you under the bus without thinking twice about it, darling” he reached out for her hand, and she instinctively took it away from his reach “I did tell you to get out of there after Father died, didn’t i?”

 

“Yes, you did” she got up on her feet and looked at him “Could you please get me a doctor, Jonathan, my head is killing me and i feel like i’m going to…” she fell into the cold floor in one motion

 

“Oh for Christ’s sake… Lidia! Call the doctor!”

 

There was a lot of noise and movement besides her, she was being carried upstairs, surely by some of the guards Jonathan seemed to have. She kept her eyes closed and her breaths superficial, pretending to be unconscious for as long as she could. Feeling the mattress beneath her body, she let her body go limp, listening to everything Jonathan said. He was on the phone with the doctor, demanding him to arrive as soon as possible.

 

“He says we have to lift her legs a bit, put a pillow or something under her knees Lidia” a pair of hands moved her legs up and down again “I want you here quickly, Dr. Abbott, she has work to do and she cannot do it while unconscious, can she? Hurry up then, a guard will let you in”

 

She kept her eyes closed as they checked her pulse and her breathing. Jonathan left the room exasperated and she used the little time she had to think what to do next. The news were clearly a signal for her. They were deviating attention and making her captors think she was not an important asset for them anymore. For the public, Gaia Brookfield was a criminal and as long as that was the official version of the story, she had time to play around. Jonathan would gain a false sense of security and she could play along as the damsel in distress for a little longer...she needed to find out a way to communicate with Mycroft, and she was sure that the words Sherlock gave to the press were staged as well. He never gave any details about anything, but now he threw the name of the detective he consulted for and the hospital where his friend worked at. Surely a pointer to direct her attempts at communication towards Inspector Lestrade, St. Bartholomew’s or to himself...but why not The Cabinet? Lestrade was a homicides detective and Molly Hooper was a pathologist. Why would they be involved instead of the MI6 and her team? The Cabinet HAD to know Mycroft’s plan…

 

She could hear Jonathan’s voice coming closer to where she was.

 

“And who the fuck is Anthea?” he went silent for a few seconds “Well then get in touch with someone from the MI6 or blackmail someone from her team, i don’t know, do something! I need to find out how much they know before doing anything! Oh come on! You can’t be buying that “she’s guilty” bullshit! Get me my information or consider our deal done”

 

Gaia felt his breath over her face

 

“How can someone pass out so often?”

 

“Well, it’s an expected side effect from the chloroform, Mr. Collins, and by the looks of her, you didn’t skimp on that bloody thing, did you?”

 

“You’re not here to make judgements or give your opinions, my dear Doctor, wake her up”

 

The doctor opened one of her eyes by pulling her eyelid forcefully. She saw a blinding light and tried with all her strength not to frown. He felt her pulse and put the stethoscope on her chest for a minute or so. She felt the growing pressure of the sphygmomanometer on her right arm as Jonathan muttered nonsense under his breath.

 

“Her blood pressure is a bit low and her breathing is too shallow...my first guess is broken ribs, am i correct?”

 

“Yes. Will she wake up?”

 

“On due time. Let her rest, Jonathan. You owe her that at least”

 

“I don’t owe her a damn thing!” he snapped at the doctor “She is the one that owes me. I have her life in my hands right now, and she will comply to whatever i damn well please…”

 

It was time for her to wake up. She started stirring and mumbling. Fluttering her eyes every now and then, she had seen enough noir films to see how it had to be done.

 

“Jonathan…?” she whispered

 

“Wake up, sweetheart, we have work to do, come on, we have no time to play around”

 

“Jonathan, The Cabinet has declared me guilty of  _ your  _ operation” 

 

“Leave us alone, all of you” he said

 

It was her time to do the performance of her life. Hopefully they would have cameras on the house, because Mycroft was going to love it… 

 

Tears started welling in her eyes and she started sobbing. She tried to sit on the bed.

 

“Those bastards blamed me…” she looked at Jonathan, who was puzzled “After everything i’ve done, after everything i’ve given up, they blamed me! To cover their pretentious, useless and stupid asses!” she raised her voice, as tears fell down her face

 

“I told you they would, darling, but you didn’t listen”

 

“Oh Jonathan, i was so stupid! So blind!”

 

“And your family...what’s your family going to think?” he added to her little monologue

 

She started sobbing uncontrollably, her shoulders shaking, and that made Jonathan sit besides her on the bed.

 

“Calm down my dear. You can get back at them for this horrendous thing. Just help me get my merchandise, the only thing i need from you is the location of my seized containers and a safe delivery point, after that you will be free…”

 

She nodded

 

“I will help you Jonathan” she could almost see the dollar sign appearing in his eyes “But i’m going to need a computer”

 

* * *

 

“There’s not much on the necklace, and it’s not big enough to have even a partial fingerprint on it, so…” Sherlock handed Mycroft the golden chain and he put in his front pocket.

 

“Systems is still working on her laptop. Numeric passwords are the worst, apparently” he said, taking a look at the microscope in front of him

 

“I don’t know why you’re wasting time with them, you should take it to Sherrinf…”

 

“Don’t even finish that sentence Sherlock, we’re not getting Eurus involved in this”

 

“All i’m saying is she would recover the password in a minute or two”

 

“And she would snoop around confidential files freely in the same amount of time”

 

“Yeah, that sounds about right” John added, from his spot in one of the stools. “And i don’t think i’m ready for another murderous spree, no offense”

 

They were at Molly Hooper’s laboratory, Rosie was in the woman’s arms, giggling at everything the pathologist said to her. Sherlock was going through the little pieces of evidence they had found in the Industrial Park. He kept on glancing at his phone at every passing minute. John was sitting in one of the stools, coffee in hand. 

 

“Do you think she will get the message?”

 

“We don’t even know if they let her watch the news, John”

 

“We don’t even know if she’s alive for that matter…”

 

“Thank you, Dr. Watson, your words are comforting” John opened his mouth to apologize, but Mycroft cut him “No need. Sherlock, i have a busy day ahead of me, hopefully the interviews today will tell us more about the mole. Anthea will text you if we have some advance on the computer during the day. If you get any response, any clue, ANYTHING, you call me directly”

 

“Yes, yes, yes, let me work in peace now, would you?”

 

Mycroft rolled his eyes and took his umbrella before leaving the laboratory. He did not like that place, little did it matter that it was a place for deceased people… He got back on his car, taking his phone out to finally tend to the notifications that were coming without rest since the press announcement on Gaia’s disappearance. He had phoned her family beforehand, hoping they would understand what they were trying to do with that trick, but the rest of The Cabinet were unaware of his intentions (they could thank the mole for that) and, if Anthea was correct, it was going to be hell when he arrived.

 

_ Phone registers on your email. Check the marks. A _

 

He accessed to his email account as the car went through the streets, watching the already familiar list of phone calls from her personal device. Nothing out of the ordinary. After going through that list, he found the short record of incoming calls to her apartment, non filtered through the commuter on the lobby. All of them from her family. Where were the marks Anthea was talking about? He scrolled down, trying to find them until he caught a glimpse of a yellow highlight on the screen, it was a London coded number he hadn’t seen before on her records.

 

Why would Anthea add the records of the lobby’s phone? More than that, why would she add the outgoing calls?

 

Frowning, he looked at the time the call had been made. Yesterday night, around the same time Sherlock had left the building…that bloody concierge...

 

“Stop at the nearest phone cabin, please” he said to the driver

 

“Right away, sir”

 

He picked one of the three numbers randomly, as the car stopped near a corner. He opened the door and went into the cabin with a clenched jaw. He dialed the number he had selected before and waited for the tone. The phone rang two times and then the voice of a woman greeted him from the other side of the line.

 

“Parker & Collins Consulting, this is the office of Jonathan Collins, how can i help you?”

 

He hung up the phone forcefully as the first raindrops started crashing against the glass.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Like i said before, this chapter was so much easier to write than the previous one, so here you have it! Mycroft knows about Jonathan now, and hell is about to break loose. 
> 
> Thank you for your continued support on this story, i am deeply grateful.
> 
> Read you next time!
> 
> S.


	8. You've Got Mail

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “I must say though, i’m truly disappointed… i thought she was perfect Cabinet material, she had so much potential…” he hummed in agreement “I even thought she was the perfect candidate to be Mrs. Holmes…”
> 
> Mycroft’s eyes widened in surprise as Lady Smallwood faked innocence.

**8\. You've Got Mail**

 

Greg Lestrade was just coming back to his office after going to the street for his mandatory mid-morning coffee and cigarette when he heard the notification sounds from his computer beeping uncontrollably. When that happened, it could only mean two things: there was an actual real, life threatening emergency, or Sherlock Holmes was finding a new way to annoy him…

 

Staring at the screen with a frown, he clicked on the tab he had previously opened on the browser and rolled his eyes when he saw the hundreds and hundreds of emails that were showing up at his inbox. He opened one of the messages, watching one simple text line: Visit the BoHo Hotel.

 

Bloody Sherlock fucking Holmes.

 

The emails kept on piling on his inbox and he grabbed the phone furiously, calling John, who would surely answer faster than Sherlock (who usually didn’t respond at all). He groaned and turned of the sound on the computer, finding a bit of relief when the beeping on his computer finally stopped.

 

“Hello? Greg?”

 

“Hi John, could you please tell Sherlock that he has to stop playing with my bloody computer? I have actual work to do and those emails are going to crash it sooner or later”

 

“What emails? Hold on, i’m putting you on speaker”

 

“Those stupid emails Sherlock is sending every second to my computer!”

 

“What? Emails? Bingo!” he heard Sherlock’s voice on the distance “Lestrade! What do the emails say?”

 

“What you’ve been putting in them you bastard! Stop them!”

 

“I’m not sending them! Now, what do the emails say?”

 

“ _Visit the BoHo hotel_ ” he glanced at the screen once more “What on Earth does that mean? Wait, you’re not sending these stupid things?”

 

“I have to call Mycroft, John will tell you the details”

 

“What the fuck is going on?”

 

“Well, i don’t think Mycroft will like it very much if we tell you every detail, but someone is trying to talk to us, and Sherlock hinted that this person should contact you”

 

“Me? What do i have to do with this? I don’t even…”

 

“Calm down, Greg, we only need your computer. Wait. What did you say, i can’t hear you from here! Oh, okay. Greg, we need you to reply one of the emails with this words exactly: _I know. How do i get there_?”

 

Lestrade sighed deeply and readjusted his chair to face the screen and typed the reply into one of the seven hundred emails on his inbox. Mere seconds after pressing send, the relentless wave of incoming emails stopped.

 

“Oh, the emails stopped. Was it a virus or something? Should i be worried about data or..?”

 

“No, no, it’s fine. Just tell us if there’s a reply” John hadn’t even stopped talking when a new email showed up on his inbox.

 

“I have a reply. It’s just a bunch of numbers, John. It doesn’t say anything”

 

“Sherlock, she answered!”

 

“She?” Lestrade went pale and pushed his chair away from the desk, getting up “Please tell me this is not about Brookfield”

 

“Why? Do you know her? Oh for heaven’s…” there was a lot of noise on the line and Greg heard Sherlock’s voice again

 

“What are the numbers Lestrade?”

 

“Ehmmm…. 6e656564206c6f63206f6620616d6d6f” he said the numbers and letter one by one, knowing he didn’t even need to write them down “Then in another line it’s 61 73  61 70, separated by spaces every two numbers”

 

“It’s hexadecimal. Answer the email and write this: i’ll consult with my boss, how soon can i go?”

 

“Am i going to get in trouble for this, Sherlock? Because i’m pretty sure this has something to do with the Brookfield thing and i don’t...”

 

“Oh my god! Could you just type the thing?”

 

“Yes, yes i’m doing it. Wait….there’s a new one”

 

“Read it Lestrade, we need to do this fast!”

 

“Oh for bloody hell, it only says: server will be back in the afternoon”

 

“Good, now, come to Baker Street. We need you here right now”

 

“I can’t just leave whenever i want, Sherlock!”

 

“Grab a stupid file and say you need to consult something or whatever...i don’t know, but be sure to get here as quick as possible, we have a lot to do” with those words, the line went dead.

* * *

 

Mycroft had spent all morning lying to everyone. He was fairly good at it, specially when it helped to his interests, and now he was listening to the angry shouts of the highest members of The Cabinet, all of them enraged and babbling whatever nonsense came to their mouths about Gaia.  _ His _ Gaia. God, how he wanted to punch them… But of course, he had to stay quiet and nod and agree with everything they were saying.

 

“Ladies, gentlemen” he got up from his chair momentarily, trying to catch their attention “I understand each and every one of your opinions, but right now, the best shot we have is handing the investigation to the MI6”

 

“She has valuable information in her hands, we can’t just let her walk away with it until the MI6 has a solid case”

 

“We will wait until we have to. She won’t move a finger until the waters have cleared...the least we make her think she’s a priority, the faster she will act and the faster we will catch her”

 

He had received Sherlock’s simple message a few minutes earlier, and he had left the room to call him. Apparently, Gaia was contacting them in a series of emails directed to Lestrade’s computer. He felt relieved to know she was alive, but the rest of her messages disconcerted him. “ _Need loc of ammo. ASAP_ ” He felt like a caged animal, ready to jump from his seat and fight, but he had to keep on lying for a while longer, it was imperative that he showed no emotion, and the constant necessity he had to touch and turn Rudy’s ring on his finger was certainly not helping his facade. He wanted to rip off his skin and scream...instead, he crossed his leg and studied the faces in the room.

 

“This meeting has been going in an endless circle for hours, and i’m afraid nothing you can say will make me change my mind. The MI6 will handle the investigation, the data research team will be interrogated and we will go from there. This meeting is adjourned until we have new information. Lady Smallwood, i believe we have an unresolved issue from yesterday, please see me in my office as soon as you can”

 

He stood up, incapable of standing another minute of nonsense. He soon heard the steps of Lady Smallwood closely behind him.

 

“Am i a suspect in this as well, Mycroft?”

 

“Of course not, i just really wish to have something done by the end of the day. Yesterday was absolutely unproductive and i could use a victory today”

 

“We could all use a victory today” she was walking by his side now, shaking her head “I never saw this coming… she looked decent...reliable. I mean, Collins trusted her”

 

“Collins trusted nearly everyone…” he felt the bile going up to his mouth as he pronounced that name

 

“You and i know very well that he didn’t. The man would’ve work all alone if we’d let him”

 

“Mhhmm… well, she put on an impressive act for years, apparently”

 

“Do you think she’s been doing this all along?”

 

“I wanted to ask you the same thing…” he opened the door of his office and let her in before he entered the room and closed the door. The silence and relative darkness of the room felt like a balm. “Do you remember any signs, any indications of illegal activity from before she was appointed as head of department?”

 

“Well no, her search history and online activity in the office never suggested anything improper...I’m sure you can recall we were impressed when we found out she didn’t even accessed her social media accounts during office hours”

 

“Yes, i remember” he paced around the room “Maybe she was using Collins’ account for her operations…”

 

“Mmm, i could ask someone to retrieve those files…”

 

“That would be appreciated, thank you” he heard her sigh deeply

 

“Help me understand something here, Mycroft” he sat in the comfort of his leather chair “We are handing the investigation to the MI6, but systems still has her computer and we don’t have her phone in our possession even though the preliminary reports handed by her team say explicitly that it was on her suitcase…”

 

“Well, Elizabeth, we have already started with the long process of decrypting the information on both devices and we simply can not afford to waste more time restarting it. When systems is done with her laptop, i’ll hand it personally”

 

She hummed and raised a brow at him, with that amused look people tend to put on their faces when they think they know and understand more than the person on the other side of the conversation, and Mycroft couldn’t help but feeling infuriated at the woman. He simply stared at her, his best poker face on while she tried to get a reaction out of him. 

 

“I think is best that we get to work, Elizabeth”

 

“Yes, absolutely” she put on her briefcase on his desk and got out some binders and folders “I must say though, i’m truly disappointed… i thought she was perfect Cabinet material, she had so much potential…” he hummed in agreement “I even thought she was the perfect candidate to be Mrs. Holmes…”

 

Mycroft’s eyes widened in surprise as Lady Smallwood faked innocence.

 

“Excuse me?”

 

“Oh please, you’re telling me you haven’t noticed the way she looks at you? Or that _i_ of all people haven’t noticed how you look at her?”

 

Mycroft found himself in a loss of words while she smiled at him, clearly satisfied with the state she had put him in.

 

“I beg of you Elizabeth, stop talking”

 

“Mycroft, is not a sin to feel attracted to someone...you are one of the most eligible bachelors in England, can you really blame the poor girl?”

 

“Please, please, stop talking. You are starting to sound like my mother”

 

Lady Smallwood laughed

 

“Well, my point is that it’s a shame that she is a criminal mastermind…”

 

“With that, i agree”

 

“So, do you want to tell me what the actual plan is? Or do i have to find out on the news or in an emergency call like last time?”

 

“There truly is no plan, Elizabeth, we have enough on our plates just as it is. Let’s let the MI6 do their job and hope for the best”

 

“And you expect me to believe that?”

 

“I expect you to do as i ask, for once. Stop pushing the subject, i’ll update you as soon as we have some reliable information, in the meantime, let’s work, please. I would like to have something going the way it’s supposed to be going...”

 

“Very well then…” she opened the first folder and handed him some document that needed his review, approval and signature “About the issue we were talking about yesterday, the interested parties have reached an agreement, but one of them wants to go to a Consulting office before accepting...”

 

“And they want to hire a private Consulting firm? Well we can always send them to the ones we prefer”

 

“Yes. Which one would you suggest? Our usual?”

 

“Mmmm” he leaned back on his chair, mindlessly looking at the document in his hands “Which other good options are there? You surely remember how awfully it went last time, an unnecessary waste of time...” 

 

“Didn’t Jonathan Collins have a Consulting Firm? We could kill two birds with one stone if we approach him...”

 

“Why would we want to interrogate Collins? Were they close at all?”

 

“I believe we should cover some ground with her acquaintances while we wait for her computer and such. She was really close to Collins senior, and it’s easy to infer that Jonathan must have known about her and her relationship with his father...both Damien and herself were close to the family and helped with the funeral arrangements if you remember…”

 

“Mmmm, doesn’t sound too bad” he crossed his fingers and pretended to ponder on her suggestion “What do you have in mind?”

 

“You could go and talk to him, negotiate that he stays on our side in this case and casually throw Miss Brookfield into the conversation”

 

“I think it would be best if you go this time Elizabeth, i have a meeting with the Prime Minister and later on i have to go check on Sherlock… It will be Sherrinford day soon and i’d like to see if he is in a proper mental state for it”

 

“No, no, no. You have to go, Mycroft. You’re better at reading people than i am. If he knows something about her or the operation, you will notice. I’ll trade you the meeting with the Prime Minister…”

 

“You underestimate yourself, i’ve seen your cunning eye during interrogations…”

 

“No, stop it. You are going to meet with Collins and i will go to the meeting with the Prime Minister. It will guarantee the best possible outcome for both situations”

 

Mycroft took his pen and signed the document before handing it to Lady Smallwood.

 

“Very well. But only because you are the one requesting it. I wouldn’t want to give the Prime Minister the impression that our meetings are not of the utmost priority for me…”

 

“I’ll tell her it was my idea, if that helps”

 

“It does, thank you”

 

“Now...where were we?”

 

Mycroft pretended to be as unfazed as he was before, but allowed himself a smile of satisfaction before continuing with the day’s agenda. In a world of goldfish, one could order around the little ones and let the bigger ones think they had at least a little bit of control when, of course, they had none of it.

 

Soon after that exchange, Elizabeth Smallwood left his office, leaving him to his thoughts. He called Anthea into the room and watched as she received her orders and started making calls on the phone.

 

“Yes, it’s The Cabinet, i would like to schedule an appointment with Mr. Collins for today. Yes, as soon as possible” Anthea looked at him and he urged her to go on with the call “Oh, yes i understand, could you get in touch with him and tell him The Cabinet needs his assistance on a forthcoming business? Or maybe give me his cell phone number? Yes, yes of course. I’ll wait for your call, thank you, have a nice day”

 

As his dear brother would say, the game was on.

* * *

 

 

It was really funny how a few words over a text message could make or break a person’s entire day, Jonathan Collins, for example, thought everything was going smoothly up until five minutes ago, when his ringtone filled the room and he saw the simple text from his secretary.

 

_ Cabinet asking for business meeting today. Is it arrangeable? _

 

He had stared at the bright screen for a long time, as he heard the relentless tapping of Gaia’s fingers on the laptop he had provided. He watched her impassive face on the corner of his eye. She had insisted upon trying to hack into the MI5 to get a clue of where the weapons would be, and as soon as he gave her the computer, she busied herself with tapping and tapping and clicking and tapping.  She winced every now and then, surely her broken ribs acting up and made her take some painkillers, the strong kind, to keep her as calm and mellow as possible. Gaia complied, smiling weakly at him and continuing her work.

 

Should he tell her about the meeting? 

 

“Gaia” he said, his voice more stern that he had intended over the soft tapping of the keyboard “The Cabinet is asking for a meeting”

 

She stopped as she was struck by lightning and looked up at him in what he could only see as panic.

 

“Are they going to question you?”

 

“They asked for a business meeting, preferably today” he watched as she shifted nervously in her seat

 

“Well, they handed the case to MI6, right? It may actually be just business”

 

“Who is in charge of that? Contracts, and such?”

 

“Well, many departments handle it, it depends on what it is about...but i’ll go for a sure bet and say it will be someone from Smallwood’s office, if the job is high profile enough, she’ll go herself”

 

“Do they do this often? Hire private firms?”

 

“Yes, all the time. They are probably trying to make sure someone’s payment money gets back to them, but i don’t know…”

 

“Mmmm” he stared at his phone screen again and texted his secretary back

 

_ 5 pm. My office. Find out who’s going _

 

“How’s the hacking going?”

 

“So far so good. But the files are being a pain in the ass to find...i have to go through every security level, each investigation file. It’s slow, but it’s working well...MI5 cyber security is honestly a joke…”

 

“Didn’t know MI5 handled international stuff…”

 

“Not entirely, they were the ones that found your container, so they are bound to have reports and file numbers on it, that way, i don’t have to spend more time than necessary in the MI6 systems” she turned her gaze back into the screen

 

“I’ll go to that meeting, Gaia, probably won’t return until later tonight or tomorrow, depending on how things go. I hope i don’t have to tell you that there are guards on every door…”

 

“And why would i want to go out?” she stared at him, annoyed “I have work to do”

 

He smiled at her and nodded before going out to his car. His phone started ringing.

 

“Yes? Any update?”

 

“Heard that systems has her laptop. No word on the phone, No other physical evidence brought in” the voice on the other side said, in a low whisper

 

“Keep in touch”

 

Jonathan adjusted the rearview mirror and softened his frown as soon as he saw his reflection. He had to be really careful with his next moves, and that bloody text had just complicated things for him. This morning, he had been sure beyond doubt that Gaia had been working alone, but the convenient timing for that meeting request had creeped up on his brain as a reason to be extra cautious. But he was going to be charming and polite and interested on everything they had to say, he would fake surprise and concern if they mentioned Brookfield and would offer his help to whoever showed up. His precious money depended on it.

 

The car engine purred, and he hurried back to London. 

* * *

“Sherlock, i have actual work to do, i don’t have time to stare at some screen looking for God knows what” said Greg Lestrade as he sat in the uncomfortable chair in front of Sherlock’s filled desk

 

“Well, keep staring and you’ll know”

 

“I’m gonna get fired, and it’s gonna be your fault!” he pointed at him with anger

 

“Mycroft will fix that”

 

“Yeah, yeah, so i heard…” he looked back at the screen and kept on watching the boring people at the cabinet walk among the hallways and entering rooms just to exit minutes later “Why are you on the Brookfield case anyways?”

 

“Mmm...it’s a fun and interesting case”

 

“You said the exact opposite to the press this morning”

 

“That was a decoy, Lestrade, keep up!”

 

“You said you would explain what i am doing here and why my computer was getting weird numeric emails, and you have done nothing but boss me around to look at files and make me stare at security footage looking for something that, according to you, should be obvious!”

 

“Greg, this case is a delicate subject. and we are not sure we should be telling you everything right now. Just...help us out some more and we’ll explain everything, i swear” John’s words were reassuring, but he felt bored out of his mind.

 

“That guy has gone to the bathroom twice in less than an hour” he pointed out

 

“Freeze the frame and send the timestamp to My…” Sherlock’s phone rang before he could finish “Yes?”

 

Both Greg and John looked at him in complete silence

 

“Well, hurry, we have a few people you have to look at” he hung up “Mycroft’s coming over, they are done with her laptop”

 

“Good, that will help a lot i guess” John inquired

 

“He doesn’t sound pleased”

 

“When has Mycroft ever sound pleased?”

 

“Mmmm...fair point…”

 

“Again? Jesus, that guy needs a Pepto Bismol or something, it’s the third time going into the same bathroom”

 

Sherlock saw the skinny man reach his pocket before entering the loo and he smiled.

 

“I think we have our guy”

 

Mycroft was there within the next 10 minutes, with a deep frown on his face, eyes narrow and gaze cold. Lestrade saw him walk towards the client chair and sit down with ceremony, dominating the entire room within seconds.

 

“I know who we’re after”

 

Sherlock looked stunned and Mycroft gave him a manila folder.

 

“ How did you find out?”

 

“Phone records on her building. I assume the concierge has been tipping him for months now” 

 

“Ehmmm...Mycroft, hello” both Holmes looked at him and he immediately felt like a little bug on a windshield

 

“Detective Inspector Lestrade, good afternoon, thank you for your assistance, i assure you that you will not have any trouble for being absent from your workplace, and please be assured that your help will be thoroughly compensated when all this is done” he gave him a polite and hypocritical smile, the one you give people when you want them to go away

 

“Thank you, but i would really like to know what is going on here before i keep on going”

 

“Yes, of course. You are assisting Sherlock and John in the search of Gaia Brookfield, unofficially of course. I’m afraid further details will have to wait, Detective Inspector” his voice was cold and he felt compelled to agree with whatever it was he was saying. “Now, i would like you to go back to your office and keep an eye on your email, call Sherlock as soon as you get another message, please”

 

Greg nodded and grabbed his coat as the brothers stayed silent, clearly waiting for him to make his exit. He walked towards the door and couldn’t help but linger out of their sight, some steps down the stair, to try and hear what they were saying.

 

“How much do you think he knows?”

 

“He knows you were on her apartment, it’s safe to assume that he knows i’ve been there in the past as well”

 

“That complicates things…”

 

“It certainly does” there was silence and he heard someone’s phone ringing “Yes, i see, send him a file and do inform that he will be meeting with me. Yes. I’ll send for the car when it’s time”

 

“Will you go bargain, then?”

 

“None of that, no, it’s merely work related. But being face to face with him may prove useful for deductive purposes…”

 

“Yes, one would expect so, brother dear. What was that thing people say about staring into the abyss?”

 

“That it stares back…”

 

Greg sighed and went down the rest of the stairs quietly. Being around both Holmes brothers at the same time always proved to be brain damaging for him and, for once, he rather stare into his computer than into the brothers and their undecipherable chatter.

 

At that moment, in an office facing Richmond Terrace, the email notifications on Lestrade’s computer came back to life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Transition chapters are sometimes a necessary evil ;) We will finally get to see some Holmes vs Collins, let me know how you think things will work in the meeting.
> 
> Also, the BoHo hotel in Prague is a real location, and it will be a big part of the story in a future chapter that's already on the works.
> 
> As always, thank you for your continued support on this story, i love hearing your opinions.
> 
> Read you soon!
> 
> S.


	9. Prague, part 1

**9\. Prague, part one.**

Gaia stepped out of the car as a cold wind blew across the landing field. She adjusted her scarf and walked towards the small plane, shuffling things inside her bag, making sure everything she may need handy was in there. A flight attendant greeted her as she went up the stairs; she took a deep breath, readying herself for what was to come: her first trip to an international meeting. She was excited, but the need to prove herself worthy of her new position was threatening to sabotage her efforts of looking confident and all-knowing. Fake it until you make it would have to be the motto for Prague, she guessed.

She took her place on the spacious faux leather seat and took out her tablet for a last review of the documents she was supposed to present at the meeting later that evening, suddenly, the voice of the flight attendant caught her attention.

“Mr. Holmes, welcome aboard”

And there he was, standing tall with his always present umbrella in hand; a thick black coat covering almost his entire body. She could see he was wearing a grey suit underneath the coat as he walked inside the plane, his dark brown Oxfords reflecting the artificial light inside the jet. She couldn’t stop the corners of her mouth going upwards, some part of her brain uncontrollably happy with the sight of him. But then came the annoyance. Mycroft was not supposed to be there.

“Ms. Brookfield, good morning”

“Mr. Holmes, what are you doing here?” they had surely sent him to check on her, make sure she didn’t screw up. 

“Do not fret, Ms. Brookfield, a different meeting came up and my attendance is required. I will not be interfering with your assignment”

“Oh, i see” she fell silent “I apologize if that sounded a bit on the defensive side. I was not expecting you, that’s all”

“No need to apologize” he nodded at her and took a seat on the other side of the plane.

She bit her lower lip, regretting her words towards the man. As she pondered whether or not to apologize again later on, Damien and Anthea both entered, giggling to each other at whatever new inner joke they had going on. Gaia had always thought there was something going on between them, but they kept denying it and dismissing all of her comments.

“Morning boss” he leaned towards her to kiss both of her cheeks, something they had been doing ever since she started working with Lord Collins as a sign of their mutual appreciation “Nervous?”

“Would it make me look horribly unprofessional if i said yes?”

“It would make you human, i believe” he said with a smile on his face “Not all of us can be Mycroft Holmes”

“Speaking of which, did you know they were coming?” she saw his grin widen, giving her the answer she was looking for “Damien...”

“I just found out, i swear” he put his hands up in defense

“Next time give me a heads up, maybe” she scolded

“I’m afraid his schedule is out of my reach, but i could ask Anthea for it if you want...”

“Don’t be ridiculous” she rolled her eyes at him “And lower your voice, i don’t want him to hear your nonsense. It’s bad enough that i can’t stop thinking he’s here to supervise and intervene in case i screw up”

“Why would he think that?” he looked annoyingly amused “Oh, they didn’t tell you?”

“Don’t tell me he...”

“Yep” his lips popped as he spoke the last sound “He was the one that told the PM you were the one for this meeting”

Gaia groaned with genuine mortification and covered her face with her hands.

“What happened? Did you say anything to him?”

“Why didn’t you tell me that before? Now he’s going to think i’m rude and easily offended” she turned slightly to her back, where Mycroft was looking out the window, and felt a violent heat creeping up her cheeks. As if sensing her looking at him, a clear sign of his omniscience, Mycroft looked back at her and she immediately recoiled in her seat, to the delighted look of her assistant “Oh, save it Damien. This is your fault”

“I didn’t say a thing, boss”

“Don’t think, then” He smiled devilishly and took out his phone “And don’t tell Anthea about this, or i swear i’ll cancel your room on the BoHo and send you to the worst hotel i can find”

“I’m just turning on the airplane mode”

“Morning passengers, this is your captain speaking, we are about to start our flight to Prague, we will be landing in approximately 2 hours in the Vodochody private airport...” she immediately turned the voice of th pilot into white noise and mechanically started fastening her seatbelt and following the instructions the stewardess provided. Something inside her made her look back again, and she caught Mycroft looking at her with intensity; chills ran through her body as she kept the eye contact, only this time, he was the one that looked away. She sighed and stared out the window, marveling at the city going smaller and smaller beneath them...

Hours later, Gaia walked into her suite at the BoHo hotel in Prague with a bellhop close behind her, carrying the luggage in a golden metal cart.

“Enjoy your stay, Miss, and welcome to Prague”

“Thank you” she smiled at the man and tipped him generously before he left.

Once alone in the room, she removed her scarf and coat and walked towards the window, enjoying the beauty of the Old Town, with its stone streets and impressive architecture. The roads were busy even though the weather was not forgiving; it was early January and the wind appeared to reach one’s bones at each blow.

  
She was supposed to be preparing for her meeting at four o’clock, but she couldn’t stop thinking about Mycroft’s gaze upon her, that feeling of being scrutinized from head to toe, as he could figure out the hidden truths about her life with only one look. They had seen each other often in the last six months, and she started noticing certain changes in the way he treated her...he stood closer to her in the lift every morning (making her wonder if he knew how much his presence affected her) and even initiated the small talk as they waited their respective stops; she could swear that he looked strangely proud whenever she pointed out something of importance everyone seemed to be missing at the Cabinet meetings. It was strange...feeling this close to him when, in reality, nothing had changed. He was still the most powerful man in Britain and she was just another piece on the chess, as fancy as her new title may have been.

And speaking of her personal devil, he was walking out onto the street, about to board a vehicle. He looked up for an instant, as one does when checking for dark clouds, but when he noticed she was at the window, he stared back up, with the ghost of a smile taking over his lips; she gestured goodbye and he nodded, going into the car seconds later. Her heart raced with joy and she laid in the couch, wondering if maybe, one day, she would be saying goodbye to him from the window of their own home...

* * *

 

Mycroft felt unusually optimistic about Prague, but if anyone asked, it had absolutely nothing to do with the fact that Gaia Brookfield was staying doors away from his suite on the hotel. The trip to Prague had truly been unexpected, but not entirely unwelcome. He had found himself longing for her presence at the most odd occasions; lately, he thought about her head leaning into his shoulder as he sipped on his daily glass of scotch in the late hours of the night, both of them comfortable and warm in each others arms; some days she was reading a book, others, she laughed at something he had said with that melodic laugh he had often heard in the hallways (he hated how often she seemed to do it when around Damien)...it was a fantasy, he knew that much, but in recent times, he had replaced his weekly movie nights with long sessions of daydreaming about what his life could be with her by his side. He was not supposed to indulge in such idiocy. There was no way he would compromise his position in the Cabinet for a romantic relationship, no matter how alluring it may seem at the beginning. It was a risk for her as well, her reputation would be tainted forever, a relationship with a superior was frowned upon, specially for women as young as her, and a part of him really wanted to see her succeed on her own merit, without anyone interfering for some idle gossip.

He had deduced a lot about her in their daily encounters on the lift, and some more while watching her during meetings and around the office. She had lost someone, her file would later show him that her father had died in her early childhood; she had a good but distant relationship with her family, probably due to her career choice, that took her away from the safety of Suffolk and into the ruthless and noisy London. She cooked frequently, it was easy to deduce she loved it, and her love for music was more than evident, if one judged by the amount of times she was humming or singing a tune under her breath. Her mind was fast and highly trained, he could thank Collins for some of that, he guessed, and her academic records showed she had been a bright student from a young age. There were times where he could notice her judgement got clouded, specially when it came to collateral damage involving civilians. She was not reckless in her decision making, but Mycroft could recognize the frustration and need for a fast and effective solution every time it happened.

Mycroft had been surprised when his deductive skills only showed him so much of her personality and mindset; instead, she had been unknowingly presenting bits of herself to him, like crumbs making a road, and soon he found that he was eagerly waiting for the next peek of information. Somehow or other, that aspect of her made him change their daily routine; at first he had told himself that it was out of curiosity, but when their daily conversations in the lift started showing in his mind several times a day, he worried. He needed to stop. The daydreaming, the need to know who she truly was. He couldn’t afford to care for her more than he already did.

He refused to go through a relationship just to watch her leave with a younger, more attractive and more committed man. Someone that could give her the family and the stability everyone seemed to look for at some point in their lives. He much rather live in his fantasies.

Mycroft felt the cold air hitting his face, the car waiting for him right in front of the hotel. He reached for the car door and looked up, disconcerted by the sudden change of direction in the wind (apparently, a previously forecasted storm was going to brew faster than anticipated due to the warmer air currents in South Europe) and he caught a glimpse of Gaia’s face looking out the window. He smiled before he could stop himself, his stomach fluttering with the stupid thought that perhaps she was looking out for him. She gestured a goodbye with a sweet and apologetic smile on her face, probably overthinking their encounter in the jet… The entire ride to the Czech government offices he thought of her, leaning into the frame of his front door, wavingwgoodbye as he left home for work, a cup of coffee (tea, perhaps?) in her other hand.

Oh, what a beautiful life he had in his fantasy. 

His chest clenched tightly. He had to stop...

After hours and hours of listening to security concerns, enraged government officials, incompetent secretaries, misplaced information and an entirely pointless meeting where his patience had been tested in numerous occasions, Mycroft was finally back in the hotel. He slammed the car door closed with more force than he had intended to, but well, the tension had to come out somehow, he guessed. He took long strides towards the front desk and tapped his fingers with impatience before a nervous middle aged man handed him his key card.

Mycroft felt her before he saw her, her voice filled with annoyance and exhaustion; when he turned, he saw her pinching her nose, eyes closed, with an equally peeved Damien by her side. She sighed deeply and opened her beautiful eyes.

“Ms. Brookfield, how was it?”

“Frustrating, unproductive” the clerk handed her the key to her suite “And by the looks of it, i was not the only one who had a horrible meeting”

“You’d be correct” he gestured so she’d walk in front of him to the lift

  
“Boss, if you don’t mind, i’ll go grab dinner” Damien said and she complied with a reluctant nod, leaving them alone in front of the elevator, that appeared to sense his impatience and opened right away.

“Why are they being so stubborn?” she said, leaning her head back to the wall

“People hate admitting they are in the wrong, Ms. Brookfield”

“Yeah, i get it clearly now” she looked at him “And it’s Gaia, let’s keep the formals in the office, please”

Mycroft nodded, a throb in his temples threatening to leave him without sleep for the night.

“Did they treat you well? I know how harsh they can be towards new people...”

“They were alright, not rude or anything, but they seemed very reluctant to believe or actually listen to what i had to say” she sighed again, clearly in need to vent her frustrations as well.

The lift stopped on their floor and he let her go ahead of him. She tucked her hair behind her left ear and bit her lip nervously. But why? Was she uncomfortable with his presence? Perhaps she had sensed his annoyance and took it upon herself.

“Mr. Holmes”

“Mycroft” he corrected softly, trying to keep his negative mindset at bay.

“Mycroft. I hope you don’t find this too inappropriate, but, would you like to have a drink before we retire for the night?”

He was shocked. Genuinely shocked. The fact that she wanted to have a drink with him felt a little unbelievable, he was probably daydreaming again. He couldn’t help but gaping at her and she lowered her gaze to the carpeted floor.

“Forget i said anything, it’s just that we both look like a truck ran over us and maybe...” she shook her head “Nevermind, have a good night” she started walking away from him

“No, no, please. I’m in dire need of a good glass of scotch, i was just taken aback by your proposal” she turned back to look at him, and he felt his stomach tightening.

“Oh, i thought...”

“You’d honor me with your company, Gaia” he changed the approach, so she would feel certain that her company wasn’t being imposed to him, trying carefully to hide how much he actually wanted to be next to her for as long as he could.

“Meet me in the bar in” she looked at her wristwatch “20 minutes?”

“Wouldn’t you prefer the restaurant?” she seemed to ponder on it “My treat” Gaia blushed and gave him a shy nod “Great, i’ll come get you in 20 minutes”

“Oh, you don’t have to, we can meet there”

“I insist”

“Okay, i’ll see you in a bit” she smiled and went down the hallway to her room.

He stayed there, fixated on his spot just outside the elevator, looking at her walk into her suite. He couldn’t believe it just yet, her willingness to go beyond professional boundaries; and as much as it pained to admit it, he wanted it as well. It was unclear for how long he had been this hungry for intimacy. Not sex. Intimacy.Perhaps it was foolish, indulging in something he knew was doomed, but it would only be this once.

Mycroft entered his suite, the silence calming his battered nerves, and sat on the sofa for a moment. He ran a hand through his thinning hair and stepped up to check himself in the mirror, he adjusted his tie and removed the coat, making sure there were no visible wrinkles on his jacket. Perhaps the coat would help hide the fullness of his belly when they were seating, but the much warmer environment of the restaurant would make him sweat if he kept it on...Maybe if the lights were dim there would be no need for him to cover up. Surely Damien didn’t have this kind of issues, Damien just had to smile and every woman in the room would drool over him, he didn’t have to worry about being fat or nearly bald, or too old for her. He looked sadly into his reflection. But then again, she had asked him to have a drink. Not the annoyingly good looking Damien. Him. Mycroft Holmes. Then there were the glances, the blush of her cheeks whenever he praised or complimented her, the dilated pupils, the change in breathing pattern... He would have to try and keep his demons at bay if he wanted to enjoy the evening, after all, it was just going to be this one time. He looked at his pocket watch; it was time.

He took his key card and telephone, just in case Sherlock decided to be annoying, and walked down the hall to her bedroom; as he passed by the elevator, the door opened and revealed a very... affectionate couple making out inside the lift. Mycroft gulped, unable to stop his mind from thinking of Gaia and himself, bodies as close as possible and lips savouring each other without a care in the world. A rush of heat came over his cheeks and he cleared his throat before knocking on her door. It was bloody ridiculous, he was not a child nor an adolescent that blushed at the sight of physical contact. He fixed his jacket, straightened his tie (out of pure nervousness) and knocked. Seconds later, she opened the door and greeted him, he could see she had done a few touch ups in her makeup and that her hair was loose around her face, framing it.

“Hi”

“Hello” he extended his arm to her “Shall we?”

She looked at him with incredulity, and Mycroft noticed the slight shake on her fingers as she took his arm. It was good knowing she was probably as nervous as he was.

“Had you been to Prague before?” he asked, to break the ice

“Yes, to some meetings, but i’d never stayed here, and i’ve never actually been around town, always busy with something, i’m sure it must happen to you all the time”

He hummed in agreement, as he pressed the button calling the lift, hoping the lovely couple from a minute ago wouldn’t be there.

“Yes, it happened to me with New York, actually. I had been there at least five times before i saw the Statue of Liberty” she looked happy with his answer, something they had in common and something to keep the conversation flowing.

“One would think that being the boss would give you some time for a short visit to the Statue of Liberty”

“On the contrary, as i'm sure you have noticed, there is not much free time” they entered the blissfully empty elevator with their arms still entwined “One learns to prioritize the well-being of the nation over everything else after a while”

“Yes, i understand” it surprised him to notice that she meant it, she really did understand “Sacrifices must be made, and all that”

“Which doesn’t mean we can’t enjoy some leisure time every once in a while”

“And i’m glad you agreed to share that time with me tonight” they looked at each other, the air growing thick with all the words unsaid between them. Mycroft felt the need to tell her that he would not have it any other way, but right then, the doors opened again and she let go of his arm, walking out before he could stop her... 

Dinner went smoothly, the wine flowed and the food was delicious; their conversation slowly becoming less formal as the night progressed and the alcohol relaxed them. They talked about the office, about the cold weather, about their colleagues and the sadly absent Lord Collins; Mycroft watched as she found herself more comfortable around him, no longer choosing her words as carefully.

“Do you have to meet with the intelligence team tomorrow?” he asked

“Yes, hopefully it will be quicker, i just have to deliver a report” she sipped on her glass of wine “I really hope no one objects so i can go visit the Astronomic Clock”

“Oh yes, it’d be a shame to miss such an incredible piece of architecture” he twirled his wine glass and sniffed it before drinking, his palate savouring the rich flavours and bouquet of the drink. He noticed her watching intently, like what he had just done was the most fascinating thing to look at.

“Have you been to Prague many times?”

“A few, mostly for business” he replied with a light shrug

“I assumed as much, everyone there seemed to be waiting for you to show up at any given moment”

“Which naturally didn’t do much to alleviate your suspicions concerning the motives behind my sudden trip” she fidgeted on her chair and looked embarrassed at his words “I can assure you, Gaia, if i were here to supervise, you’d notice”

“I am truly sorry for my words this morning, Mycroft” she tucked her hair behind her ear “I didn’t mean to sound so aggravated, but it’s my first trip handling something like this entirely on my own, so i figured maybe you were here to do some damage control if necessary”

“Don’t apologize, please, there was no harm done” she smiled with relief “And i really hope you didn’t feel obligated to invite me for a drink to compensate for that”

“Oh no, no, that was... That had nothing to do with it...Although, Damien did mention you encouraged the PM to give me this assignment so, thank you” Mycroft felt disappointed, he should have known that her sudden request had been out of obligation “But this had nothing to do with that either”

“May i ask why you invited me?”

“Like i said earlier, i thought we both could use a drink and a nice conversation before sleeping” she said with a shrug.

“Good, i generally find genuine invitations much more enjoyable; and i must say, tonight has been delightful”

She looked satisfied with his answer, but did not reply.

“Would you find me a glutton if i ordered something for dessert?” she asked, drinking the remainder of wine on her glass

“Not at all, my lady” he offered to refill her cup but she promptly covered it with her hand “I would simply ask what you want”

His eyes met hers, and Mycroft saw the answer as clear as daylight: she wanted him. Gaia bit her lower lip.

“I think a slice of cake will do just fine” she shuffled in her seat nervously and raised her hand to call the waiter. She was apparently not a stranger to the concept of eating one’s feelings.

“Make them two, please” he pulled on the collar of his shirt, feeling the heat rising up to his face. It was too much. Maybe the alcohol had sparked something within him, or maybe it was the realization that she wanted him as much as he wanted her; but his heart was now racing, and a well-known pulse of desire rushed through his veins...

* * *

 

Gaia had never felt regret about refusing a wine refill, but perhaps saying no to the wine should have started sooner; she could feel her self-control slipping between her fingers and now her mind was a mess of inappropriate thoughts about Mycroft. She had watched him savour his food and drinks with true joy, so after the main course and almost an entire bottle of red wine, she wondered if someday perhaps he would savour her lips in the same way...It had all been downhill from there. The bloody alcohol was loosening up the tight restraints of her thoughts, and now she was certain that Mycroft knew how much she needed to feel him close.

The waiter approached their table and Mycroft asked for their dessert. The waiter looked apologetic after hearing his request.

“I’m very sorry sir, we just served the last slice of cake, can interest you in something else from our dessert selection?”

Mycroft gave her a look, asking her without a word if she wanted anything else.

“Oh, it’s fine” she shook her head, hoping for a chance to escape

“We’ll just need the check, then” the waiter nodded and went away. Gaia stood up from the booth-like seat and Mycroft promptly followed.

“I need to use the restroom, be right back”

She fled to the restroom and locked the door behind her. What on God’s good Earth was she doing? She needed to get it together and stop being so obvious around him. For her, it was clear that he was only being polite and friendly, but he was far from making a move on her, and if she didn’t get a hold on her feelings and tipsiness before facing him again, well, she may even get fired.

But God, the way he asked her what she wanted... That voice, those icy blue eyes...it came straight out of her fantasies...That much wine had been a terrible, terrible idea. She paced around the bathroom, taking deep  
breaths and trying to regain some sort of control and poise, but the mirror showed her what she truly was, a blushed mess with the hots for Mycroft Holmes.

She groaned in frustration and opened the water tap to wash her hands; maybe the cold water would do something for her sobriety... Gaia rubbed her wet hands in the nape of her head and went out the bathroom to meet Mycroft again at their table. When she got there, he was taking out his card to pay the bill.

“Please, let’s split the check” she reached for her purse, but he touched her hand, stopping her right away. His hands were much warmer than hers were, and she marvelled at the softness of his skin.

“I told you earlier it would be my treat” his voice was low, and he did not remove his hand from on top of hers

“Yes, but...”

“No objections, Gaia, I’ll pay” he slid his thumb across the back of her hand and made her shiver “Allow me, please”

“Okay” she mouthed, her voice nothing more than a whisper “Just this once” the contact of their hands stopped and she felt a cold shiver falling down her entire back. Maybe her last words meant something to him, because his eyes seemed darker and there was an almost imperceptible shift in his body language; but damned be the alcohol, she could not figure out what it was…

He offered his arm once again as they walked out of the restaurant. This little gesture made her feel like a true lady being escorted by a fine gentleman and she fought the urge to giggle, it surely wouldn't help her case to do so; but the warmth of his body and his towering figure next to her were a glorious combo she wanted to experience forever.

Mycroft insisted on walking her back to the suite, but neither of them made the effort to continue the conversation beyond that. She started to become more self-aware as they approached her doorstep, worrying that maybe he felt uncomfortable and was eager to get rid of her.

“Here we are” she looked in her purse for the key card “Thank you for tonight, Mycroft, you really didn't have to”

“Thank you, for suggesting it, I had a lovely time”

This was starting to feel dangerously close to a date. She chuckled.

“Is everything okay?”

“Yeah, it’s just…” she pressed her back against the door and looked at him, suddenly forgetting all about her shyness “I think the wine is going up to my head”

“Would you like me to order some water for you?”

“I think i have some, i’ll be okay”

“Are you sure?” he stepped closer to her and she was forced to look up to acommodate his height

“Yes, i’m sure” she whispered, the tension in her body making her uncapable of speaking any louder “I think i should go to sleep”

“Of course” he took her hand and pressed his lips softly at the base of her knuckles “Good night, Gaia, i hope you rest well”, Gaia could feel her knees turn into jelly and the heat of his lips spread along her body; she bit her lip to fight a complaining whimper from escaping her mouth; maybe if this were a real, actual date, she could get a kiss at the treshold, or flowers, or a daring request to come inside the room; but this was the real world, and she would have to settle with meetings and formality.

Or perhaps, just this once, she could blame the wine...

“Sweet dreams, Mycroft” she stood on her tip toes to get closer to his face and kissed one of his cheeks soflty, and retreated immediately from the masculine smell of his body, putting in the key card and dissapearing into her suite before she had the chance to be disappointed or hurt (or even worse, fired) from his reaction.

After taking care of her night routine and changing into her silky pijamas, she slipped into the covers of the king sized bed, hoping the warm shower she took calmed her nerves just enough to let her ease into sleep. Even when her meeting was a flop, the rest of the evening was wonderful; she would surely fantasize about Mycroft’s lips for an eternity after that...Her phone rang with a text notification and her heart skipped a beat when she read its content...

_Lunch tomorrow?- M_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope this long ass chapter compensates for my tardiness; this is a bit of how their story started, and of course, it may come in play in the following chapters.
> 
> Thank you for keeping up with this work and i hope yoy enjoy it. 
> 
> Also, i may do some formst adjustments later on, i'm posting this from my phone, since my laptop decided to be a bitch... Anyways, your comments and kudos are always appreciated
> 
> S.


	10. Prague, part two

**10\. Prague, part two**

 

The anxiety that came over him after pressing send was unlike anything he had felt before. It didn’t compare to the stress of being held at gunpoint, or watching Sherlock throw himself from a rooftop, the feeling didn’t quite match the panic of Eurus’ escape; but not because it was better or worst than any of the former, no. It was different. It entailed very different consequences and possibilities. So many possibilities, in fact, that his brain was stalling at the mere thought of it all. So he stared at the ceiling and listened to the low humming of the calefaction. Mycroft wasn’t expecting an immediate response, but it had been at least twenty minutes since he had sent the text, so he reached for the phone and looked at the clock with an exasperated sigh. Apparently, it hadn’t even been ten minutes...

 

He considered the possibility of Gaia being already asleep, she looked tired and a the copious amounts of wine they enjoyed before surely hadn't help. Mycroft rolled to his side, staring at the black mirror that was his telephone screen. What had he done? She was going to say no. Maybe not to this invitation, but eventually she was going to reject him and things were going to be awkward and then she would move on, and he would pretend that he had moved on as well and everything would be ruined. Romance was a bad idea. It was only useful on artistry, not on his life, much less in The Cabinet...But, what if she said yes? What if she kept on saying yes? What if this attraction he perceived from her, this tension, was a desire for something more? But how much more? How much more was he willing to give?

 

An unexpected vibration on his hand took him back to reality.

 

_Is this your way of telling me we’ll have a terrible day tomorrow? – G.B_

 

What a smart girl. He smiled. She was luring him to state his intentions before she said yes. It was really clever. And tremendously complicated to answer. He couldn’t simply say “no, this is me asking you on a date” or “yes, be ready for mayhem, i’ll get the wine”, so he settled for a simple (and perhaps a bit dry) “No”.

 

_Good. I’ll see you tomorrow – G.B_

 

Her response was immediate, but he wasn’t sure if he should answer; instead, he texted Anthea.

 

_Separate cars tomorrow on the way back. Having lunch outside- M_

 

Sleep avoided him for most of the night, so he tossed and turned before finally falling asleep a few hours before sunrise. He got up early and layed out what he had deduced was her favourite suit on him, he carefully picked a scarf to go around his neck and tried to style his hair in a way that wouldn’t seem like he was trying too hard. He polished his shoes obsessively, until he could see the white in his eyes clearly on the shiny surface of the black Oxfords. Mycroft was experiencing a sudden rush that only came whenever he truly needed something to work out as expected, except this time, he really did not know what to expect. There was a possibility that she was mistaking his intentions and thought it was something friendly, like the end of the month outings he started having with Smallwood a while back, or that she would think he was willing to break the rules and go into a formal relationship with her not caring about the consequences it would surely bring for both of them. Nonetheless, he looked for the weather report and pushed a bit too far on the meeting, so things would go smoothly and he would be free to join her for lunch without worrying about anything else. Mycroft instructed Anthea to let him know as soon as Gaia was out from her meeting and frowned deeply when she smirked with a bit too much cockiness on his opinion. He made a mental reminder that he would have to talk to her about the whole thing, ensure her silence and discretion. It was pointless to try and hide it from her, she was his PR after all...

 

Finally, a little after two o’clock, he stepped out of the meeting feeling triumphant but a bit nervous.

 

“Sir, Database is already on the entrance” Anthea informed him in a whisper

 

“Thank you Anthea, i’ll meet you at the hotel later in the afternoon” she nodded with a smirk “I trust you won’t say a word of this to anyone”

 

“Absolutely not, Sir. But i will suggest having lunch at the other side of the Moldava” she stated while looking at her phone “Too many familiar faces on the vicinity”

 

He hadn't even thought of that. Being so caught up on her wish to see the Astronomical Clock, he hadn’t stop to consider that if they were together on the Old Town  Square, someone from the czech government would surely spot them. And in situations involving an older man and an attractive female, little did it matter how professional they may actually be, the gossip was always a more powerful force...Mycroft caught sight of Damien first, standing outside of the building and talking to a smiling Gaia.

 

“Mr. Holmes” he said out of courtesy “Hope you enjoy your lunch”

 

The man extended an arm towards Anthea and they shared a complicit look before going inside the car.

 

“Hi!” Gaia greeted cheerfully “How was it?”

 

“Uneventful, really” he shrugged and pointed towards the Old Town Square “And yours?”

 

“Pretty successful, i’d say” she answered, walking with her hands inside her pockets. She was nervous as well.

 

“I’m glad” he tried to reassure her “I knew you’d do more than well on your own”

 

“And i appreciate the vote of confidence, Mycroft, i really do”

 

“It’s all earned, my lady” she smiled, with a deep blush on her cheeks “Would you like to see the Clock before eating?”

 

“I would love to”

 

They walked in each other’s company until they got to the clock, a living proof of the magnificence and attention to detail the old masters put into their works. It was remarkable, but it paled in comparison to Gaia’s beauty...her curious eyes scanning carefully every bit of the wall, a soft smile of satisfaction, her hair falling freely at the sides of her face... she was stunning. And he was a troll...his intelligence and wit the only part of himself he would consider worthy of her attention. Mycroft needed to impress her somehow.

 

“Historical records show the clock has been up and working since 1410, even though it went for almost a hundred years without functioning in the sixteenth century...” he captured her attention with his words “It was believed for an extended period of time that the clockmaster that had supposedly built the clock had been blinded by the Councillors so he could not repeat his work on any other city, so the clockmaster disabled the clock and no one could repair it for a very long time”

 

“But of course, that was just a legend, and the blind clockmaster was not even the one who built it” she said, startling him

 

“Exactly”

 

“It went in and out of order several times along the centuries and it was almost destroyed in World War II. The most recent renovation was in 2005, but there’s another one scheduled for the near future so it can be finished before the 610th anniversary” she looked back at the sculptures adorning the wall “Am i correct?”

 

“Yes, you are” he was impressed, for someone who had never been to the Clock before, she sure knew her facts...He watched in silence as she kept smiling to herself. “I thought you’d never seen it before”

 

“And i hadn’t, but that didn’t stop me from reading about it” she looked embarrassed, and he felt instantly bad for his comment

 

“That is very admirable” he said, attempting to correct his mistake “Most people just wait for someone else to tell the facts”

 

“Oh, so it’s not the first time you pose as Wikipedia?” she smiled again, and the relieve he felt must have been noticeable from a distance

 

“Not the first time i’ve been compared to Wikipedia either”

 

“Poor Mycroft” she mocked playfully “Shall we go find something to eat?”

 

“I thought you may want to stay and watch the statues move when the next hour comes...”

 

“I wanted to. But i think i need the cake i was deprived from yesterday. If that’s okay with you...”

 

“Absolutely. We can do anything you want” there it was again, the dark pupils and the subtle lick on her lips...it stirred something inside him, his own desire, Mycroft presumed, but it was not time nor the place to indulge...He would have to wait. “I know a place near Charles Bridge, if you don’t mind the ride”

 

“Lead the way”

 

They walked towards a busy corner, where Mycroft held the taxi door open so she could enter. She looked pleased with his gesture and he took note on that. She liked the old-fashioned gentleman type. He could work with that quite easily, it wasn’t far from his true nature, after all. He gave the cabbie the address in his very rusty czech and felt instantly satisfied when she looked at him in disbelief.

 

“You speak czech?”

 

“Only a little” he downplayed it, maybe it would be too much bragging if he admitted that he had learned the language during a quick assembly a few years back.

 

“Really? A little?” she was teasing him “How many languages do you speak, exactly?”

 

“Not many”

 

“Let’s recount” she wiggled in her seat and started counting with her fingers “English, obviously; i’ve heard French, Spanish, Portuguese, Mandarin and Russian before...” she closed her eyes and looked like she was concentrating really hard “Japanese? Yes, i’m pretty sure that was Japanese...”

 

“You’re forgetting German” he pointed out, a playful tone in his voice, as he listened to how much attention she had been putting on him during reunions.

 

“Of course! Silly me” she palmed her forehead with a small roll of her eyes “How could i forget German? Czech, Italian...You know what? I changed my mind...” she shook her head, a few loose strands covering her face partly

 

“I-I’m sorry?” he panicked, maybe she _had_ find him too presumptuous.

 

“You’re not Wikipedia, you are most definitely the Google Translator”

 

“Am i?”

 

“Yes, you are. I have never met anyone that speaks that many languages before...it’s very impressive”

 

“Thank you” he said, sincerely

 

“You’re welcome” she fixed the loose strands of her hair behind her ears “It surely must come in handy sometimes”

 

“Indeed it does. And you? Any hidden skill i should know about?” he tried to change the focus of the conversation on her, instead of him, just as he always did; except this time, it was for entirely different purposes.

 

“I can cook” she replied with a touch of shyness in her voice “Any recipe, any type of food. Just tell me what you want, and i’ll find a way to cook it”

 

“Including cake?”

 

“Including cake, yes” she bit her lower lip “I’m not particularly good with desserts, but i can brulee something when needed be...”

 

“Now that is a far more impressive and useful skill” he pointed out “I can’t cook for my life. I’m simply terrible at it”

 

“Mycroft Holmes being bad at something, that is simply not possible”

 

“On the contrary, my lady, it is more than possible. You just don’t know me well enough to have seen it”

 

The taxi stopped and he went out first, hurrying to open her door, to which she blushed again. He really loved having that effect on her. It was endearing. He offered his arm and walked close to her to the doors of a restaurant he had been in before. It was a nice and quiet spot close to the stairs that led to Charles Bridge, secluded enough to think of it as a romantic spot. A waiter promptly assigned them a table and soon, they were clinking their wine glasses together like the night before.

 

“This is really delicious, Mycroft, thank you for inviting me”

 

“Don’t thank me, i’m just happy you said yes. Most would’ve refused”

 

“Well, i wouldn’t have”

 

“Really?” he asked not so innocently “Why is that?”

 

“You are a very interesting man, Mycroft” she answered, without much innocence as well “I like interesting people”

 

“It’s only natural that a beautiful, interesting woman like yourself likes stimulating conversation”

 

“Thank you for the compliment, but i’m really not interesting at all…” she looked down at her plate, moving her food from one side to another

 

“Merely stating facts, Gaia, i don’t do compliments very well…” he tried to make her look up, but she resisted

 

“It was nice either way”

 

“May i ask you something?” she nodded, and he waited for a few seconds, gathering his thoughts and hoping that the words came out of his mouth in the right way “Why did you ask me for a drink yesterday?”

 

She froze in the spot. The fork stayed mid air, between her fingers, and her mouth a little open, ready to take the bite. Colours started rising to her cheeks soon enough, and her breath got caught in her throat.

 

“Don’t fret, Gaia, you don’t have to answer if you don’t want to”

 

She put the fork down, re-composing herself. Apparently, she was seriously considering not to answer his question.

 

“Oh, it’s okay, i’ll answer”  she didn’t want to answer, that was clear on her body language “If you answer one question for me as well, that is” clever girl

 

“Okay” maybe they would finally come clean about their mutual attraction “I think i can manage that”

 

“Good, you go first” she took the fork back into her fingers and finally ate the little piece of meat that she refused earlier “Why did you ask me out today?”

 

“I really like spending time with you” he looked into her eyes, enjoying their expressiveness “And i want to know you better” he paused mid sentence, trying to find something he could say that made a clear statement that this was not something coming out of the blue, he had thought about it long and hard, he had dreamed about it, he had fantasized about it enough times before “I believe we’ve had enough lift conversations, don’t you think?”

 

Gaia looked surprised by his response, but the faint smile she tried to hide with her wine glass was a dead giveaway.

 

“It’s your turn now. Why did you ask me?”

 

“I know it’s silly, but it really felt like we could use a drink last night. Work was awful, we both needed to release some pressure, i guess” she put down her glass “It felt like the perfect excuse to spend the evening with you”

 

The waiter interrupted them, asking if they were ready for dessert; so Mycroft inquired about their cake selection, ordering for the chocolate cake she had wanted yesterday. Gaia looked nervous through the exchange (probably worrying that he was not pleased with her answer) and placed her hand flat upon the table, drumming her fingers against the surface a couple of times.

 

“Now i’m intrigued, why would you want an excuse to be in my company?”

 

“Mmm, we agreed on one question, didn’t we?”

 

“Then ask me something else…”

 

“Tempting” she drummed her fingers again “But i think i’ll pass. I can’t think of anything else i would like to ask right now”

 

“Really? I’m certain there was something you wanted to ask yesterday and didn’t” he looked at her small hand upon the white tablecloth and his stomach clenched, longing to touch her “I could answer it, if you wish”

 

“You’re bluffing” she said, raising one of her brows with incredulity

 

“Try me” he replied with confidence. It was time to come clean…

 

“Go ahead, then, answer the magical question i never asked”

 

“The answer is yes, this is a date” he reached to touch her fingertips with his own, looking at her stunned expression without adding anything else. She looked down at their touching fingers, but didn’t attempt to end the contact. She was just there, silent and motionless. Mycroft caught the waiter carrying their dessert in the corner of his eye, so he slowly retreated his hand from hers, missing her warmth instantly.

 

She cleared her throat and thanked the man with the little czech she knew, taking the small fork in an instant and slicing the first bit of cake without hesitation.

 

“Am i right? Is that what you meant to ask yesterday?”

 

“This cake is really good” she said “You should try it right away, did you know that sometimes the chocolate flavour can be altered when the temperature changes and…”

 

“Gaia” he interrupted with a warning tone on his voice, causing her to sigh deeply in defeat, shifting in her seat and finally putting the fork down

 

“Yes, i wanted to ask that” she looked down and bit her lip with shame

 

“Why didn’t you?”

 

“Look, Mr. Holmes…”

 

“Its Mycroft, we’ve been through it before”

 

“Mycroft” she played with the napkin over her lap “I didn’t want you to think that i was overstepping my boundaries, i know i am nothing more than a subordinate to you and of course you wouldn’t be interested in going out with me, but then you sent that text last night and i thought that maybe…”

 

“You’re rambling” she groaned in frustration and digged into the cake again “But just so you know, i did intend for this outing to be a date”

 

“Why?”

 

“What do you mean why?” he took the first bite out of his own slice of cake “I thought it was obvious”

 

“No, it is not obvious” she said, warily “Tell me, please”

 

“I find you beautiful, smart, interesting…” he took the first bite out of his own slice of cake “Why wouldn’t i want to go out with you?”

 

“Because you’re my boss”

 

“No, the Prime Minister is your boss”

 

“Well, you are unofficially everyone’s boss”

 

“You said it yourself, unofficially” she didn’t reply right away, so he kept on talking before she had the chance to try and change the conversation “What i still can’t understand is why a woman like you would want a date with a man like me…”

 

“You are kidding me, right?”

 

“Of course i am not!  You are young, bright, dedicated...you could have anyone…”

 

“But i don’t want anyone” she sought his hand and touched it, mimicking the move he had made before, a rush of electricity coursing through his body “I’ve had the biggest crush on you for a very long time, Mycroft” his heart started thumping in his ears and he felt dizzy with joy “I thought you knew” her voice lowered

 

“I…I think we should finish our dessert and talk more about this once we’re outside, if that’s okay with you” he gave her fingers a light squeeze before letting go

 

“Yes, yes, of course” she shook her head “But you are not upset, are you?”

 

“Not at all, i would never be upset with you for being honest”

 

“Okay” she gave him a little smile and they both continued eating in silence.

 

After a few minutes, when the cake and the wine were gone, he asked for the check and they left the restaurant. He offered his arm again and she took it in an instant, deprived from the shyness that she had displayed the day before. Now that the cat was out of the bag, things were really going to change between them, and for once, he was welcoming it with open arms.

 

“So you really didn’t know i’ve been pining over you for years?” she asked

 

“I had my suspicions. And you?”

 

“Mycroft, please don’t take this the wrong way but you are unreadable, there was no way of knowing! I can’t read minds like you, you know?”

 

He laughed

 

“I can’t read minds, Gaia, that is impossible”

 

“So you’re telling me you simply guessed what i wanted to ask?”

 

“No, but i didn’t read your mind either”

 

“The point is, i did not know, never in my wildest dreams would’ve occurred to me that perhaps you were also interested”

 

“I always felt like i was staring at you a little too much, i feared you were thinking of me as...creepy”

 

“No, but i did wonder why you looked at me”

 

“I couldn’t help myself, you are a sight to behold, Ms. Brookfield”

 

“And you’re not too bad yourself, Mr. Holmes”

 

They looked to each other in the eye, and he realized how smitten he was with her. If she asked, he would move the sun so it wouldn’t bother her…

 

A tourist pushed her as they walked by, making her lose balance and take his arms for support; at this sudden movement, he stumbled a few steps backwards, he felt relieved when his shoulders made contact with the stone wall, preventing them from a sure fall to the ground. Mycroft realized how close their bodies were, and he became hypersensitive to every bit of stimulation she provided...the pressure from her fingers, the smell of her hair...She looked up, and her stunning eyes made him shiver with delight, this woman, this beautiful creature had a crush on him...it was intoxicating…

 

“I’m very sorry, Mycroft, that man just pushed me and i…”

 

“No, don’t apologize, it was only an accident”

 

Neither of them moved.

 

“Gaia…”

 

“Yes?”

 

“I think i need to kiss you now...” he caressed her cheek softly, his fingertips ghosting over her skin “Would you let me kiss you?”

 

“Yes, yes please” her voice came out breathy and ragged, a reflection of the inner struggle between reason and desire, and for once, Mycroft chose to go with his own desire, consequences be damned…

 

He leaned into her slowly, reveling at the sight of her eyes shutting and her lips become slightly parted; he stopped a few millimeters from her lips just to see if she backed down, but to his surprise she seeked out the contact and, finally, their lips met in a slow and exploring kiss. Mycroft placed a hand upon her waist, a deep need inside of him begging to pull her closer and kiss her with more depth; so he did, and he felt her raise to her tiptoes and lift her arms to come around his neck.

 

Gaia was delicious, sweet and warm and willing, melting into his arms like chocolate between his fingers.

 

For a moment, for a blissful, exquisite moment, his mind was quiet. The storm would have to wait.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some fluffy stuff for you guys! I tried really hard to make this look like a conversation between two people pining for each other secretly would look like, let me know if i accomplished it. Also, i wanted to emphasize Mycroft's self confidence issues and his struggle to put his own needs first, so give me your thoughts on that, did you like it? Is it too OOC?
> 
> Again, i included some real places in Prague (i had the Kampa Park restaurant in Prague in mind when i wrote the scene, you can even look at the menu on their website, in case you are curious) but i've never actually been there, so if anyone notices any inaccuracies or mistakes, please let me know so i can correct them.
> 
> Thank you for your support and interest in this story.
> 
> S.


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